Thank you for the reviews.

Now that it is the weekend, I am going to try and get my head in gear and finish writing this thing... because there aren't actually that many chapters left... And still a lot to happen.

I mean... a lot happens in this chapter as well...

Chapter Thirty Four
At Least Someone Is Getting On

Rachel could tell that Philip wanted to say something to her and had wanted to say it since she had almost got herself killed again. She couldn't understand how her nephew ended up more like her than Melissa.

"Come on Philip. Talk to me." She said.

"I told you once before. Worried Eddie is just as bad as manic worried Rachel."

"And what about you?"

"Ros spent all her time trying to work out why I was in such a bad mood. I… I didn't like it, Rach. I thought the gun was bad enough but the fact that you could have been blown up in that caravan… I don't want to lose you."

"And I don't want to lose you too. I am sorry that I put you through that again."

"I think me being your nephew is back to being the worst kept secret."

"Like my relationship with Eddie. I am glad you are getting on with Ros. At least someone is making an effort with the John Fosters lot."

"I was going to go out and meet her, unless you want me to stay here."

"God no Philip. You go out."

"We were only going to try and find something to watch at the cinema. Unless you don't mind her coming around here and we could raid your DVD collection."

"As long as she doesn't mind coming around to the head and deputy's house."

"I mean, she seemed pretty cool with the fact that you were my auntie."

"Go on, ask her. I'll tell Eddie that we will be having a guest over."

"Does that mean that we can get pizza tonight?"

Rachel sighed, not really being one for a takeaway. "I suppose."

"Thanks, Rach." He said as he left her to find his phone.

Maybe having Ros around wasn't the best idea in the world but hopefully, it would help take the shine off the weeks earlier events.

"You allowed Philip to invite over a spy?" Eddie said.

"What?"

"That is the enemy behind our lines."

"God I thought the kids would be territorial. Looks like I should have been more worried about the teachers."

"Well, Max isn't helping my mood towards the John Fosters lot at the moment."

"I am hoping that getting Ruby on side will mean that there will be more unity in the staffroom, which I hope will trickle into the student body. Just got to get Steph and Grantly on side."

"Grantly shouldn't be too difficult."

"Why?"

"I… may have exploded at him. Over the whole Bianka Vale thing."

"Right."

"I think it was either going to be me or Kim. Kim might have been a little calmer. I think Tom remembered how angry I could get because he followed us back to your office. Where I could have knocked Chris out when he said that I should be angry at you."

"He did have a point."

"And I will make my peace with him on Monday. I just couldn't this week."

"You certainly will. Having Chris on our side might help this merger. I can't have my deputies arguing now, can I?"

"I don't like that."

"Don't like what?"

"My deputies."

"You aren't jealous."

"Of course I am."

"Then you will just have to remind yourself that you are the one that I call my boyfriend."

She giggled as he took a step closer to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his hands rested on her waist. She knew that they were about to have the conversation that they should have had after Kim intervention weeks ago. About where they stood and whether they were just going to pick up where they left off. It seemed like they had done just that as she felt like they were in the same position they were in before Adam placed the seed of doubt in their minds.

"I am never going to let you go again." She said.

"Good. Because I always want to be the first person you come to with any problem. I want manic worried Rachel as much as confident Rachel."

"Likewise. Any problems, we do it together."

"Yeah, we do."

She couldn't stop herself leaning forward and kissing him. Everything was perfect with Eddie. From his understanding nature to the way that he just knew how to show her love. She knew that Philip was also enjoying the attention that Eddie gave him as well. Maybe it was because they all knew what loneliness was like. And that what they had now was worth holding onto.

They slightly jumped apart as Philip cleared his throat.

"Are we still getting pizza?" He asked with Ros looking a little nervous next to him.

Rachel laughed as she grabbed the menu from the drawer. She shook her head as she held it out to him.

"Choose quickly because we are hungry as well." She said.

"Of course you are," Philip said as he reached for the menu.

She hit his arm with the menu before she placed it in his hand. She liked the way that Philip smiled at her before he reassured Ros that it was okay and that they were like that all of the time at home. Rachel could only turn back to Eddie and smile, grateful that he was in her life.

"I've made my peace with Chris."

"Good."

"What has Max done now?"

"Nothing."

"Remember what we said at the weekend."

"I mean nothing other than starting a relationship with Kim."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I have just seen them kissing in the Pastoral Care office."

Eddie grabbed a hold of her arm to stop her from walking and turned her towards him. He could tell that this new development was stressing her out. He knew that she was someone that liked to be surrounded by friends and this felt like a little betrayal on Kim's part.

"At least someone is getting on." He said.

"Getting on a little too well." She sighed. "I suppose I plaster on a smile and keep calm and carry on."

"Does mean you have something for when he throws our relationship under the bus."

"Yes because telling Max that a relationship with Kim is just as unprofessional as ours will do wonders for our working relationship." She said sarcastically.

"Then maybe I should work on my bridge-building with Chris. He seems to think highly of you and with a John Fosters teacher on our side, it might make things easier for us."

"Maybe that is where we have been wrong in our thinking."

"How do you mean?"

"We have been focusing on uniting the student body and the staffroom when the five people at the top aren't getting on."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe… We know that Max wants to push me out and I am determined not to let him win but… If it means that this school goes downhill because of that…"

"Rachel, you can't give him the school. You know what he would do with it. All your hard work for the last two years will be gone in the blink of an eye. This school would be unrecognizable and I don't fancy the chances for some of the kids that you have helped. Take Bolton. Max was so certain that he had done what he was being accused of. Max thought he was dangerous. Bolton wouldn't last five minutes under Max and you know that."

"But I can't destroy a school because I think I know best."

"You do know best. You know what it is like for these kids better than Max ever would."

"I'm second-guessing myself again."

"Which is why you keep me around. To make sense of your overthinking." He sighed. "Maybe just go and talk to Kim. Maybe it isn't as serious as you are currently thinking it is."

"Maybe. He has been complimenting her a lot. In all honesty, I thought that she would fall out with him as much as I have."

"Well he isn't trying to take over as head of Pastoral care, is he?"

"But he has no sense of pastoral care."

"And that is why he will never be right for this school. Now stop worrying. Okay? Look, Christmas is soon. We get two weeks of just me, you and Philip. Things will sort themselves out. Okay?"

"I don't think I can stop worrying." She sighed. "But for now, I'll put that worry to one side."

"Good. Talking about Christmas… What do you want?"

"Ryan, a word," Max shouted at Philip.

Philip sighed before he smiled at Ros and followed Max towards what should just be his auntie's office. He had no idea what he had done and was trying to think of anything that he had done recently that Max was going to try and use against him. The problem was, he had been keeping his head down, trying not to cause too many problems for Rachel.

"Take a seat."

Philip was still a little unsure and gingerly sat down on one of the sofas. This whole thing didn't feel right to him.

"How long have you been living with your auntie?"

"Umm… since not last summer, but the summer before that. After the fire."

"Right."

"Mum wanted to look after her."

"Are you close?"

"I suppose so."

"How much have you seen of her relationship with Mr Lawson?"

"All of it," Philip said, not really understanding why this conversation was happening.

"Ryan, I am just trying to work out when Miss Mason started to drop the ball. This place is an absolute shambles. Now the LEA keeps talking so highly of her but I don't see that same person."

"I don't think she has dropped the ball."

"I'm sorry?"

"I… I don't think she has dropped the ball. She is constantly at home thinking of ways to make the school a better place. Sometimes Ed… Mr Lawson hides her laptop so she stops working."

"But it must be hard for you. The school/home life balance."

"I manage."

"So she talks about school at home?"

"Some… times."

Philip swallowed as Max pulled over one of the chairs around the table and sat in front of him. When Bolton had said that Max was overbearing and rather forceful, he wasn't joking and Philip wondered what he wanted from him.

"Sometimes?"

"Yeah."

"About the teachers?"

"On the odd occasion."

"But you must know the teachers a little better. Your auntie is the head and she is going out with one of the deputies."

"Not really."

"Then from personal experience?"

"Sir, what do you want from me."

"Maybe just to confirm a few things for me."

"I…"

"And it isn't a request. I could make your life very difficult in this school as well as Miss Mason and Mr Lawson's. I mean, all three of you could be at home, all day, every day, with each other for company. I would suggest that you turn that little brain of yours off for a moment and listen to the prospal I have for you. Then you might just keep your place at this school, Miss Mason can keep her job as head and Mr Lawson can keep his role as deputy."

Philip just nodded. As an overthinker, like his auntie, it was hard for him just to sit there and not to start worrying over what Max was asking him to do but it felt like it was the only thing he could do. He could worry about it at home and probably get Rachel worried about him again but he couldn't tell her that he held her job in his hands. He had to do this, just for Rachel.