A/n: Thank you all so much for all the reviews, they really have been appreciated very much! This is the final part of this one, but who knows .. maybe there could be a follow-on ..

Please enjoy.

I Must Tell You

Part four.


E L. A Married man. Three years experience. Deputy. Senior leadership. A glowing reference. Favoured by the board, and I, naturally.

Tender, loving and sweet. A feeling so different that not even her imagination could have prepared for this moment. This was the moment she had craved for - Eddie rushing to her departure, desperately pleading her not to go. That he was, and deep down, she loved him more than she ever could. He looked worn, tired and maybe, just maybe, afraid. Rachel noticed his tense body language - the way his fists clenched, the way his chest heaved with great intensity and lastly, the fear that doomed in his eyes. In no short of second, she would have bounded over to him, released her defence and passionately kissed him. But, breaking away, she realised that this was reality, and reality was that Eddie was not hers. She had to let him go. She had to let it all go.

"I have to go."

Eddie's heart sank. Rejection. This feeling had been oh so familiar to him. Like clockwork, and it was no surprise to him, Rachel kept a distance and lost contact.

"Rachel, please?", Eddie's voice croaked. Mentally, he was not ready for this. Quite possibly, this was going to be the last time he would see her. He had questions, and he needed answers.

"It was not your fault." If only she would have listened. Instead, Rachel used deflection and hoped that he wouldn't press further.

"Look after it, Eddie, please?", Rachel never once doubted him, but she craved for some sort of reassurance. Wrenching herself from his presence, she gracefully pulled herself together. Brushing her tears, and giving him a quick smile, she turned and frantically latched onto the bannister. She was not okay. Her heart had never felt so shattered. This is what heartbreak had truly been about, and she was only now experiencing it, with this man, Eddie. Time was not on his side. She was walking away from him. Beautiful, determined, courageous, and a woman of elegance. Rachel was everything he had ever wanted. Rachel had almost, just almost been his.

Try harder. Try harder. Try harder.

This was a wicked game that he did not want to be apart of. He absolutely refused to lose this battle, and so, this was one last time. He had to hold tight, to ride every emotion and to prepare for what was to come.

"I love you."

Silence. It was sharp, not a shout, not a whisper, but enough for her to hear those three meaningful words. Rachel's body trembled, and she had absolutely no idea what she would say or do. Did he really just admit his love for her?

Eddie was her friend.

Eddie was Melissa's fiance.

Eddie was her soon-to-be brother-in-law.

Eddie shouldn't have been hers.

The sweat poured from him as he stood completely unaware of how his words would be reciprocated. They had never once, in the time they had met, experienced a silence or atmosphere like this. It was intense. It was intoxicating.

"I can't lie to myself. I can't lie to Melissa." A thousand flashbacks consumed her, and guilt appeared. Rachel's heart heaved as though it were about to break through her chest. Nerves savagely electrified her body, threatening her with suffocation. There was no way she could run from this, and she was almost sure he would chase after her. Like he always did. Like he would always do.

Rachel's body became exhausted, and she sure the only way to recover was to stop running. She was done running. Life was too short. Maxine's death proved that, and if that was anything to go by, she needed to do something for herself. Relaxing her grip on the bannister, she decided she would face him, head on.

All Eddie needed was for her to look at him, to really look him in the eye and tell him she didn't feel the same, and he'd he gracefully let her go. It took a few seconds for her to gain some composure, but lifting her eyes to his, he recognised that she felt everything that he did. She was just afraid.

"I can't lie to you. I can't and I won't."

All cards on the table, he was giving himself to her. Completely open, no secrets, just pure honesty. A collision of emotions tainted the air.

I must tell you. I can't hide anymore.

"I love you, too."