Hello guys! I'm back once again. I might stop apologising for the delays in updating at some point, but obviously that's not happening at the moment ;)

So, those of you that follow me on Twitter (if not XxgemidodgerxX) will know I've been pretty busy in the last eight days, so here's chapter one of five I've written since I finished work last Saturday.

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Chapter Twelve: Eat Your Heart Out

For once, doom, disaster and destruction did not befall Waterloo Road on the term's last day; there were no menacing figures lurking in corridors, intent on revealing Rachel's darkest secret. No explosions and therefore, no calls to the emergency services. A sense of fun and excitement imbued the school that day; for some, one chapter closed that day, and another began. For those that remained, there was excitement at the thought of six glorious week's of holiday stretching ahead of them.

The last bell sounded and Rachel stood in the playground, watching her students spill out of the doors. Some milled about in groups around her, sharing one final conversation and others darted straight for the gates, glad of six weeks respite from the place. She smiled as she spotted Phillip, larking around in the car-park with Bolton and Paul. He'd made plans with them that night, mentioning something about an end-of-year party. Meaning she and Eddie were home-alone, little knowing that that was the way Eddie had planned it to be.

Eddie joined her moments later, his hands cradling her hips as the crowd dispersed. The affectionate gesture surprised Rachel, but she soon leant back against him. Eddie's chin rested upon her shoulder. "Please say we're leaving Miss Mason at the school gates today,"

A soft smile rose on Rachel's face, "leaving Miss Mason at the gates huh?" she questioned. "Are you sure having six weeks of plain old Rachel won't be boring for you?"

"After the nonsense we've had thrown at us this term, I'd settle for boring. But, I could never see you as plain old Rachel, that's not you; you're extraordinary."

Her cheeks flushed, "oh, I don't know about that."

"I do," Eddie insisted, spinning Rachel around so she faced him. "I can only speak as someone who knows you as you are, not who you were before. To recognise the toxicity of the situation you were in and escape takes guts. A quality that resonates in such abundance within you, as Rachel."

She sensed there was more, but jumped in regardless, "before you carry on, can I say something?"

"Course."

"Staring down the barrel of that gun scared me more than anything else."

Eddie nodded, "understandable. The mental scars that remained from the fire can't have helped."

"Not just that, I wasn't ready to return, but I did; I craved normality, thought being back here would help. How wrong was I?" she said as a mirthless laugh left her.

"Maybe initially, it was the wrong decision. But you bounced back, and that took a remarkable amount of strength. To even consider returning to the place where you almost died shows that you possess a degree of fearlessness I cannot imagine."

Rachel's emotions, already wobbly because of the pregnancy, took another hit as Eddie spoke so passionately about her. Until then, she'd only seen occasional glimmers of what he thought about her. Sure, she knew he loved her, but only then did she understand the sheer weight of admiration he had for her. "I've never been one for sitting still, I'd rather just roll my sleeves up and get on with it."

"Perhaps that's something we should change before Baby Lawson arrives," Eddie teased.

He had no desire to change her as a person, he only wanted to ensure she started putting herself first more. "Maybe," she paused, "now, carry on."

Amidst all of Rachel's admissions, Eddie almost lost his thread. "So, we've covered your guts and fearlessness. Let's move on to your kind-heartedness. You're the most selfless person I know, there's a generosity of spirit within you that makes you the perfect headteacher. The kids don't know how lucky they are to have a figure-head like you for their school. You relate to them better than most because of your similar experiences.

"I've probably talked about your best qualities for long enough, but I'll finish by mentioning your beauty and intelligence. You perhaps won't believe this, but there was something about you I rather liked on that first day; I guess you could say I saw the attraction even then, I just didn't show it. I was mad at myself for being attracted to the woman who took the job they had assured me was mine. As for your intelligence, having had similar struggles to these kids, you've tapped in to what they need, and have done your absolute best to provide that since you started. So, you'll never be Plain Old Rachel to me. If our baby has even half of those qualities, we'll have done well."

"Our baby?" A voice questioned from the doorway.

Their gazes met with the owner of the voice; Kim. The secret was out. "How much of that did you hear?" Rachel queried.

"Only the last bit," Kim replied, "when were you planning on sharing?"

"Start of next term. Kim, I wanted to tell you, but… call me oversensitive if you like but I was, perhaps still am, paranoid about anything happening. This is my first, after all.

Kim nodded, understanding now why her friend kept her in the dark. "Congratulations, both of you," she said, her genuine happiness for the pair shining through in the tone of her voice.

"Thanks Kim," Eddie replied.

"I'll keep schtum, don't worry," Kim assured the pair, "are you coming to the pub?"

"Yeah, I promised the first round would be on me at this morning's staff briefing."

Kim laughed, "yeah, I'd forgotten that," she said, "I'll see you there."

Rachel watched as she wandered across the playground and then the car-park, "must we go?" she questioned.

Eddie chuckled at the childish edge to Rachel's voice, "you promised our staff you'd buy the first round. Steph and Grantly are probably only there for that reason."

"True."

"If it makes you feel better, we only have to stay for that one round, two at a push."

"I can live with that," Rachel murmured, casting her eyes across the car-park and watching as Kim drove off. "We walked in this morning, why is your car over there?"

Rachel's question surprised Eddie, "I left something at the house, so went back during lunch to get it," he responded, inventing wildly for the second time that day.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion but stopped herself from asking further questions. If Eddie was up to something, he'd come clean of his own free will soon enough. "OK," she said, lifting the metaphorical weight from Eddie's shoulders, "shall we get our stuff and go?"

"Yes, let's, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can start our summer holiday."

At those words, a grin spread across Rachel's face, "you read my mind."

Upon arriving at the pub, Rachel and Eddie approached the bar to order their drinks. An orange juice for her and a pint of bitter for him. Afterwards, she paid off the tab Steph and Grantly started in her absence before joining their colleagues. Jasmine stepped aside, allowing Eddie and Rachel to sit between herself and Tom. At that moment, conversation segued into the various plans they had for the summer. Tom announced he'd be spending quality time with Chlo and Donte's baby daughter, Izzie. Afterwards, the question passed over to Eddie and Rachel and neither gave a concrete answer. Rachel didn't because while they'd discussed holiday plans, she presumed he'd dropped the idea as they'd not spoken about it since. Eddie didn't because he hadn't yet told Rachel of his plans for their romantic retreat.

Both breathed a sigh of relief as the conversation moved on. The staff soon split off into various cliques, venturing into various corners of the pub, leaving Rachel and Eddie alone. Tom's words about baby Izzie got her thinking. That would hopefully be herself and Eddie in a year's time, spending proper, quality time together as a family of three. Eddie sensed Rachel had disappeared into her thoughts as it took him a few moments to gain her attention. "Are you OK, Rach?" he queried.

Rachel nodded as she sipped, "just thinking about what Tom said, that'll be us this time next year."

"It will be, and I can't wait."

"Me neither," Rachel said as she drained the contents of her glass and rose from her seat, "just nipping to the ladies'."

She gave Eddie's arm a gentle squeeze before walking away. In Rachel's absence, Eddie joined Tom and Jasmine at the nearby pool-table. He joined their conversation and watched as they played shots. A few minutes passed and Rachel had yet to emerge, which concerned him. Eddie drained his glass, then excused himself from Tom and Jasmine's company before heading off towards the toilets. He breathed a sigh of relief as Rachel followed Kim out of the ladies toilets. "What took you so long?" he questioned as she approached.

Rachel's answer was not forthcoming; instead, she took Eddie's hand, and they disappeared into the beer garden at the back of the pub. Finding a bench away from the revellers, they sat down. "Kim took me to one side," she explained, "I think she's worried our relationship's moving too fast."

"And what business is it of hers?" Eddie questioned, firing up straightaway.

This was what Rachel wanted to avoid. Eddie and Kim didn't get along at the best of times and she'd hoped they'd be able to put aside their differences for her, apparently not. "She cares, Eddie. She's Head of Pastoral and that can extend to us too. I've talked to her, told her that this is what we both want and we're happy; she seemed to accept that. Eddie, I get that you two have clashed in the past and don't get on, but can you please try to set that to one side for me? I don't want to play mediator between the pair of you anymore."

"OK, OK Rach, I'll do my best."

The smile rising upon her face told Eddie he'd done the right thing. Rachel leant forwards, pressing her lips to his. A brief response followed, but then she pulled away and rested her head against his shoulder. Silence descended between them before Eddie saw fit to break it, "let's get out of here."

Rachel's head darted up from its place upon his shoulder, "we can't sneak off, we're the Head and Deputy!" she replied horror-struck by the suggestion.

"Not anymore, just Rachel and Eddie now. I promised we only had to stay for the first round, we've done that. You brought that round so you've fulfilled your promise."

Eddie still sensed Rachel was reluctant to leave without saying goodbye to their colleagues, "we should say goodbye," she muttered.

While her words suggested she understood saying goodbye would be polite, sneaking off without a word thrilled her. "If I was to say I'd made plans for us tonight, would that change your mind?"

Eddie's question had the desired effect upon Rachel; he knew her well enough to understand that while she was fine with the staff knowing about their relationship, she'd rather keep the ins and outs private. That suited Eddie fine. "I think I would," she replied.

"Good, I've made plans, let's go."

At that moment, Rachel couldn't tell whether he was genuine or whether he said it to assuage her guilt about leaving the staff without saying goodbye. Rachel hoped, without question, for the former. Eddie rose from the bench, she followed, and soon enough, they'd gone.

"Right, no arguments Rach, I'm cooking tonight," Eddie announced as they hung their coats up.

She held her hands up in mock surrender before dropping her bags in the living room, "you'll hear no argument from me, Lawson."

"Good, why don't you go relax for a bit? Run a bath or something whilst I sort out our tea."

Eddie's sudden eagerness to take on cooking duties confirmed to Rachel that he had something planned. Therefore, he hadn't lied about them having plans. Still, Rachel wished she knew what these plans were. "Eddie, what's going on?" Rachel questioned.

Eddie tapped the side of his nose before replying, "I shall reveal all in the fullness of time, my love."

At his words, Rachel rolled her eyes and started climbing the staircase. Eddie watched her go as a deep sense of guilt lodged itself in his stomach; he hated keeping secrets from her but knew it would be worth it in the long run. He couldn't wait to share their holiday plans with her.

Rachel entered their bedroom and towards the wardrobe. Eddie was making a big fuss over this meal, so she thought she'd acknowledge by going smart-casual with her change of clothes. She caught herself mid-yawn and only then realised how tired she was. It had been both an interminable day and term, but she didn't wish to spoil Eddie's plans. She opened the wardrobe and rummaged through her clothes to find something suitable. Rachel soon settled upon a light purple silk shirt and a comfortable pair of jeans. With the clothing choice taken care of, she did as Eddie had suggested and ran herself a relaxing bath. Hopefully, a bath would refresh her enough so she could enjoy whatever Eddie had planned to the fullest.

It worked. Rachel's relaxing soak did its job in refreshing her and putting her in a suitable frame of mind with which to enjoy the evening alone with Eddie.

Upon joining him in the kitchen, she marvelled at the smell. "What's cooking?" Rachel questioned, wrapping her arms around him and her cheek against his back.

"Greek chicken with herby couscous and tzatziki," Eddie responded, a sense of pride clear in his voice.

Behind him, Rachel's brow furrowed in confusion, "I've never seen you make anything more complicated than the pasta thing before."

"Just because you've never seen me do it, doesn't mean I haven't or can't," Eddie snapped.

Rachel almost reeled backwards, such was her shock at Eddie's unexpected outburst. She'd never known him to get so worked up before, not over something as simple as their evening meal. When she didn't speak, Eddie turned to face her, "I'm sorry," he muttered, "I just wanted this to be perfect for you, because that's what you deserve."

A soft smile lit up Rachel's face, and he sensed she'd forgiven his outburst, "babe, the pasta thing you made for my birthday would have been fine. However, I can't deny that all this emphasises to me how perfect you are for me."

Relief swam through Eddie at Rachel's words. For a few moments after his outburst, he wondered whether it would descend into an argument. Thankfully not, "anything I can do to help?" she asked, taking advantage of the silence.

Eddie nodded, "how about you set the table and sort our drinks?"

"In or out?" Rachel replied.

"Shall we set up on the patio?"

Rachel grinned as she pushed open the patio doors before taking two sets of cutlery from the relevant drawer. Once she'd set the outside table for two, Rachel returned and fixed their drinks. Cranberry juice and a can of beer. She took both drinks onto the patio and sat down, waiting for Eddie to serve their meal.

He did that a few minutes later, setting the plate down in front of Rachel before taking the place opposite her. Their meals without Phillip were often long and leisurely affairs and this one was no different, they were never short on topics of conversations as a couple. "Mmmm!" Rachel exclaimed upon clearing her plate, "that was delicious, Eddie. Jamie Oliver, eat your heart out."

His cheeks flushed in response, "can I let you in to a little secret, Rach?"

She nodded as she took a sip from her cranberry juice, "course."

"That was Jamie Oliver's recipe."

"Ahh, but still, I'm touched that you made the effort for me."

"You're worth it Rach,"

At this, she smiled before rising from the table. A kiss landed upon Eddie's cheek before Rachel made a move to clear away the dishes. "No!" he exclaimed, stopping her mid-movement, "I'll sort these, you just relax."

Rachel didn't argue. If Eddie wanted to leave the dishes for later, she'd cede to the request. She put down her dish and crossed the patio, sinking into a swing chair to the right of the table where they'd eaten. Eddie watched for a few brief seconds as she swung backwards and forwards upon it. She was more at peace and relaxed in that moment than he'd ever seen her before. It filled him with a sense of happiness that he had six weeks of this ahead of him now. With that thought in mind, Eddie cleared away their plates, cutlery and took Rachel's glass into the kitchen to refill. It was now time for him to reveal her surprise.

Rachel's eyes flew open a few minutes later, "Eddie?" she called out, "where are you?"

"I'm coming, Rach," he called back, "close your eyes, I've got a surprise for you."

"I hate surprises," she replied half-heartedly.

"You'll like this one, I promise. Please, Rach."

She heard the plea in his voice and surrendered, her eyes fluttering closed, complying with his request. The sound of his footsteps reached her ears, stopping a little way away before starting up again moments later. He joined her in the garden swing chair and got himself settled before speaking up again, "open your eyes, Rach."

She did as instructed, but upon first glance, only saw Eddie. Then, however, she glanced behind him and saw the beautiful flowers upon the garden table. The sheer beauty of the dark red carnations took her breath away, "what have I done to deserve this?"

"Do I need a reason to buy flowers for the woman I love?" he questioned; upon not gaining a response, he continued. "These carnations symbolise a deep love and affection. I brought them because I've been madly in love with you for so long now and wanted to show you how much."

At Eddie's words, tears pooled in the corners of Rachel's eyes. He reached across to wipe them away and her hand landed upon his cheek, "I know how you feel Eddie, because it's mutual."

She closed the gap between them, brushing her lips against his and in doing so, gave him perhaps the softest kiss she could in that moment. Rachel pulled back, then glanced down at Eddie's hands; he clutched at an envelope, she could only guess at the contents. "What's in the envelope?" Rachel murmured, desperate not to burst the bubble that cocooned them.

A smile of happiness and pride rolled into one crossed Eddie's face, "this is the key component of your surprise," he responded, "I hope you'll like it."

Rachel took the envelope and slid it open. She pulled out a card and straightaway recognised the picture; it was on her personal laptop. She'd know those white-washed and blue-domed buildings anywhere. Rachel's heart thudded in her chest as she opened the card, then more tears gathered in her eyes as she read the words written inside in Eddie's familiar scrawl:

Rachel,

I promised you the holiday of a lifetime and on that, I intend to deliver.

Santorini, Greece.

One week.

Just you and me.

How about it?

All my love, Eddie xxx

She dropped the card into her lap as her fingers covered her lips. She didn't wish to know how Eddie had pulled this off. Not only keeping the secret, but also booking everything at such late notice. Rachel decided she didn't care about any of that. Her Eddie had done this, her perfect partner. He watched as various emotions became etched into Rachel's face as she came to terms with all of this; he didn't speak, for he understood she needed this time to make sense of everything. Her silence was not an answer to the question. A few moments passed by until Rachel pulled herself together, "you remembered?"

Eddie nodded, "that day when we discussed where to go for our summer holiday… I saw the way your face lit up as you talked about one day visiting Santorini. After that conversation and getting the go-ahead from Phillip, I booked it."

"Phillip knows?"

"Oh yeah, I wouldn't have done it without his agreement."

Rachel shook her head, now understanding why the pair of them had been so secretive since he'd moved in. "I may have to take back what I said this morning," she admitted.

"Which bit?"

"The bit where I told you I'd never love you more than that moment. I'm sure I'll change my mind again sometime, but for now, please know that I'm certain I've never loved you more than right now."

Eddie grinned, sensing she was on the verge of giving an answer, "so come on Rach, how about it?"

The grin upon Rachel's face near enough mirrored his as she responded, "yes, I'm coming with you."

With her acceptance now confirmed, Eddie leant forwards and pressed a bruising kiss to Rachel's lips. She responded before rising from the swing chair, discarding the card which fell to the ground. Eddie scowled, but his irritation soon evaporated as Rachel climbed into his lap, cradling his jaw-line before pressing a hungry kiss to his lips.

Eddie had all but forgotten of his plans to wash the dishes…

So, now you know where they're going. I'll admit, it's been Hell keeping that a secret since I wrote the chapter in which they talked about a holiday!

We've only got the next two chapters covering the holiday. Largely because I think we can all use our imaginations to explore what they get up to but also, because I'm desperate to get to the drama ;)

Hopefully be updating next week, stay safe gang x