Thank you for the reviews.

There are five parts to this chapter... Four which is going to make your Monday great, trust me on that. But there is the last part that is obviously leading onto the next chapter (and episode)... Can I apologise in advance...

Chapter Eight
Support

"Not to worry you, but Steph has just cornered me in the corridor."

The combination of Eddie saying worry, Steph and cornered in the same sentence meant that instantly she worried about what had just happened.

"I said not to worry."

"And then you said Steph." Rachel said.

Eddie huffed before shoving his hands in his pockets. It was one of his little quirks that had grown on her over time. Like the way that she had only seen him in jeans except for one time, which was for her sake, or the never giving up attitude that he had with both the kids and the teachers.

"Steph noticed the water and, when she went back for her drink after we left, she noticed that you didn't drink any of your wine. I told her that you weren't feeling well but I don't think she bought it."

"And I hoped that we could make it until the end of the year to tell them."

She noticed his smile as she said we.

"Either we just let them talk, or we tell them."

"I would rather tell them than a load of rumours spreading around." She paused. "Are you free tomorrow after school?"

"Yeah."

A wave of nerves hit her as she thought over the best way to ask him.

"I don't have to count you down again, do I?"

"No. I have my first scan. Made sure it was after school to try and not raise any suspicion. Would you go with me?"

Eddie didn't even hesitate or think about it.

"Of course I will."

Rachel could not stop looking at the pictures in her hands. She had promised herself that she wouldn't get emotional in front of Eddie but as her baby came up on the screen, she couldn't stop the tears from falling and they threatened to fall again.

She was glad that Eddie had driven because she was in no state to drive. She was glad that he came with her and the lie that he was the father just seemed so natural. So natural that she had to keep reminding herself that it was a lie.

She only noticed that they had arrived back at hers when the engine turned off.

"Do you want to come in for a coffee?" Rachel asked, not wanting him to go home just yet.

"I would love a coffee but I will make it."

"I am getting better."

"Still. I will make it."

It was weird how natural it was to have Eddie in her house. Like things didn't seem right now if his coat wasn't hanging on the bannister at the bottom of the stairs or his shoes sitting next to her own. Or the natural way that he knew his way around her kitchen.

It was just natural for Eddie to be in her life and as much as she wanted to tell him that, words failed her every time.

"Sure you want to do this?" Eddie asked as they walked in step towards the staffroom.

"Rather do it now than when I am actually showing. I don't want to be the subject of their gossip for the next couple of weeks. Plus we know that they will be debating who the father is. I would rather tell them that it is you than them coming up with their own conclusions."

"Because you don't want them thinking it is Stuart."

"Exactly."

Rachel turned to him and opened her mouth to say something else but couldn't think of anything to say or how she could word it.

"Don't worry. I understand." He said.

"I mean, even you implied that there was something between me and Stuart."

"And if I could take everything back that I have said about Stuart, I would."

They stopped at the door.

"Ready?" Eddie asked.

"As I will ever be." Rachel said as she pushed open the door and walked in.

There were a few things that she needed to tell her staff anyway but it didn't make what she was about to say any easier. She knew that Eddie knew that she was trying to stall telling them but she had made her mind up. The staff were being told.

"And lastly, I know that a few of you have noticed so I might as well tell you before you all make your own conclusions. Yes, I am pregnant."

There was a mixture of shocked faces and happy ones. A number of people said their congratulations before someone asked the question.

"May I be as bold to ask who the father is?" Grantly said.

She suspected that it might have been either him, Steph or Matt who asked.

"I am," Eddie said, answering the question for her.

Steph instantly turned to Grantly.

"You owe me a bottle of vodka." She said.

Rachel was glad that Eddie had the same look of confusion.

"Care to explain Steph," Rachel asked.

It was like Steph hadn't realised that she had said it out loud as she slowly turned towards them.

"Grantly and I had different views on your… partnership. Grantly thought that you two would end up having a massive falling out and Eddie would resign. I, on the other hand, thought that things would turn… less professional."

Rachel didn't really know why she asked because she immediately regretted it when she heard the answer. She hadn't realised that Eddie had taken a step closer to her until she turned to look up at him. As someone who liked to keep her professional and private life separate, she couldn't help but start to see the way that the two lines had blurred and weirdly, she found herself not caring one bit.

"You're surprisingly calm for just telling the staff that you are pregnant with my child."

"Maybe because I have realised that you are right and telling them has taken the mystery out of it. Steph and Grantly have their answer, even if Grantly doesn't know how close he was. They are going to move onto the next person they can gossip about."

"Okay. Who are you and what have you done with Rachel Mason?"

She smiled at him. "In all honesty, I thought I would care more but isn't there something weirdly natural about this situation and our lie. Like you have just said. Telling the staff that I am pregnant with your child."

"What do you mean?"

Rachel knew that she was on a roll and either she stopped herself now and never tell him or she just had to say the words that she wanted to say to him over the last couple of weeks.

"Eddie, I don't know what I had done so right for you to be in my life now. Since I changed my name, only one other person has found out about my past and they did react similar to how you did and he never got over it. He never saw it from my perspective and basically pushed me out of the school that I was in because he felt like I was a danger to the students. The way that you defended me with Stuart. No one has ever done that for me before. I'll rephrase that. No one has ever done that for me before and not expected something from me afterwards.

"I have never known someone to know me so well as you do. Not even family before I left that life behind. You always seem to know what I am thinking or feeling and… It should scare me so much that you know me so well but it doesn't. Eddie, I wish our lie was true. Not all of it but I wish this child was yours. I wish that Stuart never showed up. I wish that I didn't have a bad past. I wish things just progressed how I thought that they would. But even with everything being bad and not how I would want it, there is just something natural about the way we are and the way that you are supporting me."

"Wow, okay."

"And I am not repeating anything I have just said."

"I'm not going to ask you to. But I get what you mean. When I came round when you weren't well, I wondered how we had gone from friends to acting like an old married couple."

"I know timing isn't great."

"I don't think timing would be for us." Eddie paused for a moment. "Why am I expecting a but?"

"Can we just see how things go? Maybe make sure that Stuart is gone. Get to the end of term without anything else happening or going wrong. I am still expecting him to turn up."

"It does scare you."

Rachel sighed. "I like to keep my professional and private life separate. People like Steph are my worst nightmare."

"Don't want to blur the lines."

"Just don't want to give people a stick to beat me with."

"I'm happy to just see where this leads."

"Are you?"

"Rach, I like you and… Yes, I do think that we could be more than just friends. But if you're not ready at the moment, then you aren't. I'm ready when you are."

She laughed at his choice of words. "Thank you, Eddie."

For once, Eddie couldn't concentrate on the football. The pub was filled with cheers as his team scored but he was the only one who didn't. He was too focused on the words that Rachel had told him earlier that day and he was glad that she felt the same way about everything that had happened and the way that their relationship was moving.

As much as he wanted to be with her, he also understood where she was coming from. They were introduced to one another just before Christmas and their good working relationship was only because he had stopped being awkward. Just a couple of months ago, he had handed in his resignation and now he had just gone along with saying that he was the father of her unborn child. Realistically from one extreme to another.

"Alright, mate."

Eddie almost jumped at his voice and turned to him.

"Charlie. I didn't realise that you would be here."

"There aren't many places around here that is a good pub with cheapish, good ale. You?" He said as he took the seat opposite Eddie.

"Usual stomping ground."

"Still at Waterloo Road then?"

"What do mean still? I only started in September."

"Well, that school seems to be cursed. How is the new building coming along?"

"Slowly. I mean what do you really expect from builders?"

Charlie nodded at him. "Have you seen Stuart Hordley recently? We've been trying to get in contact with him but he always seems to be out of the office."

"He hasn't been on site recently. Not that we mind. He is a bit of a git if you ask me."

"What do you know Eddie?"

He could have easily said not much, just the way that Stuart acted. But there was something that still irritated him about everything that Stuart had done to Rachel. He now knew why she questioned why Stuart had chosen Bolton for the job.

"You know, he came to the school before the contract was given. Spent the day at the school. Obviously you heard about our business college status. Part of those plans had been getting a group of our year tens ready for the world of work. Making them clean up their CVs and interview technique. We were going to do some mock interviews and Stuart joined in, telling us that he could make the interviews real and offer a job to the best candidate."

"Where are you going with this?"

"This young lad of ours is apparently working up to six hours a day. I don't know whether he is still there."

"How many days was he doing?"

"Let's just say that 90% of the time, he was too exhausted for school. There were others there from Grovesdale High. Honestly, his mum told me all this and I have no reason to believe that she would lie to me. Cash in hand she said as well."

Charlie leant back in his seat. "He has a number of contracts with the council. Leave it with me, Eddie. I'll look into it."

Eddie knew that he should have taken more comfort in his words but he worried whether he had done the right thing or not.