Thank you for the reviews.

Now, I'm not actually sure how long this fic is going to be. Maybe 40 chapters.

Anyway, please enjoy :) x

Chapter 30: Let Me Tell Philip

Eddie could tell that Rachel was getting more and more worked up about telling Philip as they approached home. He had spent the most part of the drive so far, thinking of ways to make this situation better for her. Eddie had meant it when he said that he was happiest when Rachel was smiling. He was just a bit lost with what to do here. All he kept coming back to was one idea. The only one that could maybe remove some of the weight from Rachel's shoulders. If she would let it happen.

As they pulled up on the driveway, Eddie leant across to place a hand on Rachel's arm. She glanced down at where his hand lay, before slowly turning her gaze towards his. Only then did he start to speak.

"Why don't I talk to Philip?"

"Eddie… I can't expect that of you. Not after what Melissa did… it's not fair for you to repeat all of that."

"Let me help Rachel."

"Eddie…"

"Please. I want to."

She looked thoughtful for a long moment. Eddie wondered if she was scanning his features for any signs that he was uncertain about his proposal. He wasn't, so she wouldn't find any. He wanted to do this for Rachel, to make the situation better for her.

"Okay, if you're sure. But call me through… if you feel like you…"

"Rachel," he whispered, moving his hand down the length of her arm so he could take her hand, "you just go upstairs, get some rest. Have a bath or something. You deserve it."

Eddie squeezed her hand and turned to get out of the car. He noted her expression. She was smiling, looking at him with adoration. And it brought Eddie a great sense of delight.

Now he just had to word everything right with Philip.

Eddie was glad that Rachel did go upstairs when they got into the house, following a swift peck on his cheek. It gave him the encouragement to go and find Philip and explain everything.

"Hey Phil," Eddie said as he entered the living room to be met with Philip sitting on the sofa.

It surprised Eddie how relaxed the boy looked and it made him think that maybe this conversation would go as well as it possibly could.

"Where's Rach?" Philip questioned as Eddie came to take a seat next to him.

"She's just gone to relax for a bit mate," Eddie responded, inclining his head towards the staircase, "it's been a tough day."

Philip nodded in what Eddie thought must have been an agreement. It was his way of saying, yeah it has been a tough day. It saddened him to think that he was only about to make things worse.

"So did you er… see Julie then?"

"Yeah Phil, we did. What I'm going to tell you… might come as a shock, okay? I'm not going to sugarcoat it."

Philip said nothing but adjusted his position slightly. He now sat forward with his elbows resting on his legs, a hand either side of his cheek.

"Your mum, she met Julie, when Mollie was a baby. She was going to aa meetings, did you know that?"

Philip shook his head slowly. Eddie didn't want to sound interrogating but he figured it would be easier if this seemed like a somewhat normal conversation. Rather than Eddie just talking at him.

"She… erm, pretty much always had a drink in her hand. So it makes sense now I think about it. I was a kid, so I never thought anything of it… well, at the time."

Eddie allowed a brief silence to fall for a moment or two. He didn't want to bombard Philip with all the information at once. He would need time to digest it all. Frankly, Eddie was still thinking it all through and he knew that Rachel would be too. It was a subject that would be on their minds for days if not weeks to come.

"You see, that's how they met," Eddie continued, "at the aa meetings."

"Right."

"The way Julie put it, was that after a few weeks, they were getting along well. She said that she made a joking, throwaway comment. Something like you'd have to pay me to have a child. This was after your mum had mentioned Mollie."

Philip's brow furrowed. Something which Eddie guessed to be involuntary. He had done well to keep his expressions neutral so far. But this was good in a way, Eddie hoped that Philip was going to show how he was feeling about it all rather than just shut everyone out. Because it was undoubtedly going to affect him in a negative way.

Waiting till their eyes met, Eddie decided to go on, "as I said, Julie meant it as a joke. But your mum she… took it the wrong way. Completely out of context by the sounds of it."

"She paid her didn't she?" Philip interrupted before Eddie had the chance to continue, "the woman who is supposed to be my mum… gave another woman money to take Mollie?"

"I'm afraid so Philip," Eddie said, hoping that all the emotion he was trying to show was put across.

Philip glanced up at Eddie for a moment, bewildered and angry. Eddie had to do something, just to show his support that bit further. So he placed his hand on Philip's shoulder, hoping that he wouldn't flinch away.

"We're here for you Phil. Me and Rachel."

Philip wiped furiously at the tears that were obviously threatening in his eyes.

"She's unstoppable. No one can stop her from being the selfish cow that she is."

Under any other circumstance, Eddie would have utterly opposed what Philip was referring to his mum as. He had in fact done so recently. But Eddie couldn't help but agree. Just a week or so ago, Philip had made a similar comment. Eddie had been shocked then, to hear such an insult from the boy. Even then, he had understood where Philip was coming from. But he couldn't condone the comment. Whereas now, Eddie wasn't sure if he could find it in him to tell Philip that he was wrong to refer to his mum like that.

Eddie couldn't even bring himself to say Melissa. It was why he kept saying your mum. He felt sick to have her name on his tongue. After everything she had done. After everything she had put Rachel and Philip through.

So Eddie bit his own tongue, to stop himself agreeing with Philip. He would have to remain level headed. Say something similar to what he had said a week or so ago.

"I know you're angry mate. So am I. But try to listen to what I said the other week. Try not to call your mum stuff like that, eh?"

"True though."

Eddie couldn't resist it now, "maybe. But what good is it going to do saying that? Be the better person Phil. Like you say, no one can stop her. So you saying that isn't going to make her stop either."

Philip nodded, "was there anything else… that Julie knew?"

"You might have heard Rachel saying that Mollie had been homeschooled. Before Waterloo road," Eddie waited for an acknowledgement from Philip before going on, "that was part of the plan from your mum. She didn't want to risk Mollie coming into contact with Rachel."

"Typical," Philip snorted, "what so Rach didn't find out about her stupid agreement?"

"Something like that."

"I actually wish she'd done that with me. Maybe then I would have had a proper mum."

Eddie sighed, he hated what this was doing to Philip. It just seemed to be one thing after another recently. But he knew that Rachel would want Philip to know that she was there for him, as a mother. And she truly was, Eddie had been thinking of what a phenomenal job she was doing. Philip had probably gotten more support in the past two and a bit weeks than he ever had off his own mum.

"I know you would've wanted things to be different Phil. For your mum to be there for you a lot more, and care about you more than herself. But you know that Rachel's there for you don't you? She cares about you a whole lot more than her own happiness."

"Rach has been a better mum to me than my own ever was. Think this is the one time I've wished mum was actually back, so I could tell her that."

"Maybe it would make her actually think about her actions for once."

"Can't see that happening. She's the most… self centered person…"

"I know it's hard mate. But try not to think about her too much. She doesn't really deserve your thoughts I don't think."

Philip laughed now, and it felt strange to hear in such conflicted circumstances. Eddie didn't know how to feel about it.

"That's about right."

"Look, there's something else… something more recent you need to know about."

Eddie knew that he had to bring up the threatening now otherwise he never would. He didn't want to make this any worse for Philip, but the longer he left it, the harder it would be to tell him the rest of this revelation.

Philip looked up, and Eddie saw this as a cue to continue, "over the past year or so. But more frequently in the past few weeks, your mum has been… threatening Julie. To give her back Mollie."

"Is she for real? I don't think that's fair… on Julie. I mean, she's her mum."

"Yeah she is, so it doesn't sit right with me either."

By the end of the conversation, Philip was looking even more teary eyed. Eddie wasn't sure if it was anger or upset. Probably a mixture of both, or a mixture of several feelings. When Eddie realised that he was close to completely breaking down, he draped an arm over his shoulders. Once again hoping that he wouldn't resist, and he didn't. Slowly but surely he let out some tears. Constantly brushing them away.

Rachel must have heard him though, because shortly after, she was in the living room too. She shared a watery smile with Eddie, silently thanking him for the difficult conversation. He returned it, before Rachel came to sit down the opposite side of Philip, also comforting him as much as possible.

"I'm sorry Philip. So sorry that you've had to go through all of this."

"Please Rach… don't say sorry. You… don't need to."

Philip looked up briefly, and both adults noted that the tears had subsided slightly. Parting from his close proximity, but still very much there to support him, Rachel and Eddie sat back and attempted to study the boy's features.

It was always going to be difficult, to have to tell Philip such out of the blue revelations. But they were both glad in a way that he hadn't tried to conceal his upset over it. Rachel saw it as a possible signal that he would open up about it entirely, once he had come to terms with it all.

Whatever happened, Rachel knew that she would be there. And so would Eddie. Because along with each other, Philip was their priority now.