Hi everyone, i just wanted to thank you all for the endless support with this story. It means a lot. I can't believe i have reached the final chapter, but it is quite a long one, so please enjoy :)

I am currently working on another fic, but I'm hoping to get most of it written before i start posting it. So just keep your eyes peeled x

As Rachel arrived home from work the following day, her curiosity seemed to heighten regarding what her mother and Philip were up to. It was only when she sat down in the living room with them both and Eddie that she decided to question them about it.

"You two are definitely up to something."

Rachel and Eddie watched as Philip and Susan shared a glance. This definitely confirmed it. But what was it that they were being so secretive about?

"Oh you are!" Eddie said, raising his voice slightly but not overly, in hopes of not startling Isabelle who was currently perched on his knee, "could it be that Rach was right for once?"

Once his words had registered, Rachel's mouth gaped open slightly and she giggled, presenting Eddie with a swipe across the arm.

"So go on then," Rachel began, regaining her composure after becoming close to a laughing fit with Eddie, "mum? Philip? What's going on?"

Another glance was shared before Phil cleared his throat slightly, presumably prompting his grandmother to speak.

"You are both going out for a meal tonight," Susan said, standing as she spoke, "at that bar slash restaurant just out of town."

It was now Rachel and Eddie's turn to look at one another. Both adults wore a similar expression of slight happiness and gratitude. For Eddie, as they repositioned their eyes back to Susan, he allowed himself to get excited at the prospect of taking Rachel out to dinner. It would be the first time since July's events, and a perfect opportunity to affirm everything they already knew about one another's feelings.

Rachel, ever the worrier, was considering the few problems with dining out, but still allowed herself to feel a buzz of anticipation in her stomach. Opening her mouth to speak, Susan preempted Rachel's question and beat her to it.

"And before you ask, Philip and I are going to look after Isabelle. That includes overnight too."

Confirming this, Susan approached Eddie to take Isabelle into her arms.

"Off you go to get ready, your table awaits at 7:30."

Glancing at each other once more, Eddie and Rachel shared a slight smile before standing. Suddenly, they were both feeling slightly overwhelmed with the possibilities and outcomes that the evening ahead could bring.

"Mum are you sure…"

"Rachel, shush. It's already booked, along with a taxi. And Philip and I are happy to have Isabelle. Aren't we Phil?" Susan questioned, turning round to face her grandson who remained on the sofa, watching Rachel and Eddie's reactions unfold with a slight smile on his face. They truly did deserve to be happy with one another.

"Well thank you both," Rachel commented, backing down alot sooner than Philip and Susan had anticipated.

As the pair left to prepare for their evening ahead, Susan turned to Philip and raised her hand to bring his own into a high five.

"Nice work," Philip said as the two family members grinned at one another.

….

An hour or so later, Eddie was hovering in the hallway at the base of the steps. He was currently attempting to fix his tie that he had decided to wear. He always seemed to make an effort for Rachel.

Only when he heard footsteps on the stairs did Eddie glace up from the accessory. And he was certainly glad he did. Rachel looked absolutely beautiful. She well and truly took his breath away, and Eddie couldn't help the way his eyes graced her appearance from head to toe. Rachel had chosen an exquisite silk green dress, which had a sort of belt which wrapped around her waist. Of course accentuating those curves he loved so much. Her feet were encased in silver heels, which made her smooth legs look all the more fascinating to Eddie. As Rachel reached his level, Eddie aligned his eyes with her own, allowing himself to become lost in those sensational hazel orbs.

"Hey," Rachel's tone was soft and full of warmth. And hearing her voice might have just been Eddie's undoing at that moment.

Forcing himself to take a breath before respoding, Eddie chose to portray just how appreciative he was of her chosen outfit for that evening, and her beauty which seemed to accelerate with every day that passed.

"Rach… you look stunning."

When the words left his lips, Eddie realised that there were probably several other words to compliment Rachel's features. And yet, with the way he was currently enraptured, stunning was one of the few words which sprung to mind.

"Thank you," she beamed, sincerity colouring her tone, "you don't scrub up too bad yourself. Although, I have to say, I think you could do with some help with that tie."

Eddie glanced down, and sure enough, Rachel was right. Even though he had spent an insurmountable stretch of time attempting to get it perfect, the accessory remained rather off piste around his neck.

He allowed himself to chuckle as he met Rachel's gaze once more, "ties have never been my strong point."

Taking a step forward, Rachel took the tie into her own hands. The way her fingers brushed across his shirt had Eddie's vision clouded. But that wasn't the only thought on his mind. For the both of them, they were taken back to the day at Waterloo Road, when Eddie had worn a tie and Rachel had fixed it for him. For Rachel in particular, she had to blink back a few tears upon pondering the subject. It wasn't all that long ago when she was considering how unlikely it was that she would ever put her arms around Eddie's neck like this again, and fix a tie for him. Performing the gesture now, it seemed so significant, and so symbolic. Weeks ago, Rachel's future was one without Eddie, and without fixing his ties. Yet now, here he was, in her arms and for her to hold.

Straightening the tie up, Rachel pulled back and smiled at her handiwork before sensing Eddie's eyes on her and looking up. The man himself leant forward slightly, to brush a light kiss to the side of her cheek. Feeling his warm breath caress her cheek and his soft lips against her skin, Rachel was hard pressed not to let out a slight gasp. Reacting to his touch, she placed a hand on the side of his neck, and Eddie pulled away slightly. It was as if he realised just how long his mouth had lingered on her skin.

Both of their cheeks had turned a light shade of pink at the contact, and even more so as they realised that they seemed to be falling in love with each other just that little bit more.

"You know the place Philip and Susan have booked?" Eddie queried, awaiting a nod from Rachel before continuing, "isn't it…"

"Where we had our first date?" she interjected, having foreseen where Eddie's question was going. It was something that Rachel had been sure of herself.

"Yes."

"Yes… it is."

Seemingly when Rachel spoke, and she emanated that thousand watt smile which Eddie had loved so much, he was reacquainted with her hand which still remained firmly pressed against the side of his neck. He had to fight the urge to lean forwards and place a kiss to her lip gloss covered lips, not just because he knew it was something he himself longed for, but also because he knew that Rachel was currently yearning for it too. Common sense prevailed though, and Eddie realised that they would instantly become lost in one another if he was to perform that action, making them late for both the taxi and the restaurant booking.

"Shall we get going then Lawson, I think I just heard a car pull up, might be the taxi," Rachel read his mind, slowly bringing her hand down from Eddie's neck to squeeze his own hand. A gesture which said this particular moment was something they would revisit later.

….

Having taken their seats at the restaurant, it felt amazing for Rachel and Eddie to be in one another's company like this once more. Glancing around the room, Eddie realised that the table they had been brought to was the same place they had sat on their first date. This coincidence was something that sent a shiver down his spine. That and the way the candlelight was flickering across Rachel's already glowing features.

Rachel herself was attempting to discreetly admire the smouldering form of Eddie's appearance as he glanced across the table at her. Although she quickly recognised that her stare was far from subtle. Rachel didn't find herself caring all that much as Eddie stretched out his hand to take her own. All that mattered this evening was their love for one another, and what the future would hold for them both. Admittedly, both parties still had rather difficult events to come to terms with. Somehow though, when in the company of one another, almost all pain and negative feelings seemed to evaporate.

"Do you think they knew..." Eddie questioned lightly as he stroked his thumb across the back of Rachel's hand, "that this is where we had our first date?"

She smiled and briefly took her eyes away from him for the first time since taking a seat at the table, "possibly. I imagine that Philip would have remembered us talking about it."

"I'm so glad you and I found eachother again Rach. The idea of living the rest of my life without you didn't come across as a pleasant one."

"Me too Eddie. I just remember replaying our final conversation in my mind over and over, thinking about how we could've made things work."

Eddie nodded, having pondered on similar thoughts himself, "it made it worse when that was the first time we admitted that we love each other."

"I think that was the worst part for me. As soon as I walked away from you, I was fighting the urge to turn around and run into your arms. Just so I could say those words again if nothing else."

Eddie squeezed her hand slightly, sensing her inner upset upon considering the day they parted, "well we don't need to worry about that now. I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities for us to say those words."

This had the desired effect, with Rachel's whole face instantly breaking out into a joyous expression.

"I do love you Eddie."

"And I love you too."

Their chosen drinks arrived, and the couple found themselves slipping into any topic of conversation which took their fancy. They spoke of how quickly Isabelle seemed to have grown in a matter of weeks, and of Michael, and how Eddie was planning to see him the following weekend. He said that his son had been asking about Rachel, wondering where she had gotten to. The little boy had grown extremely fond of Rachel ever since she had reunited him with his father. So just like that, plans were made for Rachel to come along with Isabelle to go out for the day with Michael. Something which both adults found themselves looking ahead to.

They then moved on to their future together, and spoke fondly about the rest of their lives knowing that the time would be shared with each other. Not for the first time, Rachel considered how Eddie was the only person who she had truly let her guard down for. He seemed to be the shining star in her sky, someone she could undoubtedly always rely on. She realised that it was an honour to love a man who was so fantastic and genuine. He makes her feel alive in a way that no one else ever could, and the breathtaking way he constantly looks at her is something she can't describe.

They ate their meals whilst constantly stealing glances at one another. Simply cherishing the way they could admire each other so effortlessly. Eddie too considered how alive Rachel makes him feel, the way he feels for her is unlike anything he has ever felt before. Nothing and no one could ever compare to Rachel. She was utterly his everything. And from that moment on, he made a promise to himself to show her this everyday for the rest of their lives together.

Having shared desert and ordered more drinks, the pair decided to emerge from the restaurant and call for a taxi. As soon as they were outside on the street, Eddie brought Rachel into an embrace and met her lips with his own. Something which had been at the back of both of their minds all evening. Neither Eddie nor Rachel wanted the night to end there. Their night of precious and treasured time spent together.

Presuming that Rachel was having a similar thought process to himself, Eddie made a suggestion upon pulling away slightly.

"How about you come and stay at mine tonight?"

"I feel like a teenager again with my mum at home," Rachel grinned, thinking back upon the few times her childhood house felt like a home, "might have to ask for permission," she laughed, following through with her humorous tone.

Eddie also chuckled, tilting his head back slightly before meeting his eyes with Rachel's, "you heard Susan earlier, she said that her and Philip are looking after Isabelle overnight too. Might as well make the most of it," it was Eddie's turn to grin now, a mischievous glint evident in his eyes.

"Sounds like a plan Lawson."

Just as Eddie was about to kiss Rachel once more, their taxi pulled up. The timing could've been better, although Eddie found that he didn't mind the interruption of an opportunity to kiss Rachel, not with the way she took hold of his hand and led him over to the car.

….

When they opened the door to Eddie's house, they found themselves stepping over a rather large mound of letters. It just showed and represented how much time Eddie had been spending at Rachel's recently. So much so that the post had piled up to this extent.

Both adults giggled before Eddie found himself kissing Rachel once more. The way she was responding to him certainly made up for the earlier moment of bad timing. Even so, Eddie didn't want to push her too far. He wanted to make sure that she was entirely comfortable with where they were heading once again.

Perhaps sensing Eddie's slight hesitation, Rachel angled herself towards the staircase and pulled on his shirt slightly. She wanted to reassure Eddie that her thoughts were very much prominent in the same direction as his.

The way Eddie still pulled away slightly to glance at her expression as they reached the bottom of the steps, emphasised everything that Rachel already knew. Eddie Lawson was the most perfect man.

"Are you sure this is what you want? And that you're ready?" he asked, slightly breathless from the frequency with which they had been kissing.

"Eddie, I love you, and I want to be with you again. So yes, I am ready, and very much sure about this."

A smile graced Eddie's lips at her heartfelt words before he ducked down to place butterfly kisses across her jawline and towards her neck.

For Rachel, as she tipped her head back to grant him better access, she realised that she had reached the happiest that she had been in a long time. Prior to reuniting with Eddie, nothing had been easy. Getting over her love for him wasn't even an option, it had been emotionally impossible. Far from easy. And yet now, as they made their way up the steps together; both Rachel and Eddie were reminded of the ease with which they could be with one another. These precious moments now were in stark contrast from those spent apart. And for the rest of their lives, everything would be done together, and not apart. Evidently making all barriers more straightforward to overcome. Stood side by side with one another, perhaps things could be that little bit easier.