Looking at herself one last time in the mirror before leaving the car, Rachel let out a soft sigh. She didn't know much about this Karen Fisher but one thing she did know was that she had ruined her school! That's right, her school. Well for the next three months anyway until the L.E.A. could find a replacement; it seemed that there had been talk of moving the school and the pupils to Scotland, but until then? It was her school.

Rachel Mason was Back! Right where she belonged.

It was a strange feeling being back, not much had changed at all around the old place, there were even some of her old students still walking the corridors, smiling at her, telling her how great it was to have her back as their head. It appears Mrs. Fisher wasn't a pupil favourite at all.

Introducing herself to the school again was an overwhelming experience. It appears that the students had heard she was returning and had put on a welcome entrance; shouting there's only one MS. Mason as she walked down the middle of the hall; rows of chairs huddled together on either side of the room. She thanked her pupils and looked around at her staff; some old, some new, ones she had known for years and ones she was yet to work with.

In that moment Rachel Mason felt free, she was back doing what she loved in a place that meant more to her than she could ever explain. Looking out at the sea of people in front of her she thanked everyone one last time and dismissed them to go about their day.

Her first day went very well, she had made her rounds down the corridors, popping her head into classrooms, sitting with her pupils at lunch, smiling at anyone who passed her. Rachel really was back where she was meant to be and right now, she felt like she was on cloud nine. After such a horrible year, it felt like this was the ending she needed. To be back at work, doing what she had worked so hard for. There was nothing that could ruin this for her, nothing could make her feel uneasy or out of control.

Nothing!

Well, that was until she got a quiet knock on her office door an hour and a half after the last bell rang.

Looking up from her paperwork Rachel smiled at the young woman standing in front of her; toddler sitting on her hip. "I'm sorry Miss Mason, I wouldn't disturb you if it wasn't important." the young woman looked nervous, worry written all over her face, technically this wasn't Rachel's responsibility but with no other alternative, the head was the last option.

"No worries at all Ella what can I help you with?" Rachel put down her pen, giving the teen in front of her, her undivided attention.

Moving the child higher up her hip, Ella looked over at her boss, taking a deep breath, ready to explain why she was standing in Rachel's office, toddler in arms.

"I'm sorry Ms. mason, I know this isn't your job, but I was hoping you could help me? This little one was meant to have been picked up an hour ago but his dad still hasn't come yet, I'm just a little worried because i start my second job in an hour and I don't really know what to do with joseph over here." With that the young woman looked down at the 2-year-old in her arms, who was kicking his little feet as they dangled below him.

Nodding, Rachel smiled, standing up from her desk she walked slowly towards the young boy, extending her arms out. Rachel turned to look at the nursery worker. "Ahh its fine don't worry." Taking the little boy into her arms Rachel held him close, tucking his blond hair behind his ear. "I'll keep hold of him until his dad comes, you get off, I'll take care of it."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ella thanked her boss and turned out of the office, she'd have to rush if she was to get to work on time.

Looking at the clock above her office door, Rachel tapped the top of the toy car sitting next to her on her carpet. He was a sweet little boy really; he had the blondest hair she had ever seen with golden ringlets covering the top of his head. "I wonder where you daddy is huh? Shall we go down to see if we can find you a snack?" Gathering herself up from the floor, Rachel bent down to pick up the little boy. It was now 5 o'clock and she could tell that the toddler was starting to tire; it had been a long day for him, being here all day.

Walking into the school kitchens Rachel looked down at joseph's little head resting on her shoulder. She couldn't help but wonder. Wonder about her life, wonder what her life would have been like if she had had a child of her own, but there was no way she could have had one with Adam, no way. That man only cared about himself and what he could bully her into.

Letting her mind wander, Rachel walked over to the fridge looking for anything that she could feed the young child who was getting closer and closer to sleep by the minute.

It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for and within 10 minutes they were both sat back in her office sharing a ham sandwich. They were in a nice little friendship now, she would do her paperwork as the toddler would feed her tiny mouthfuls of buttered bread, minus the ham that seemed to have been fished out by tiny little fingers.

Looking over at the young boy, Rachel smiled. "You know what Jospeh? I think we need to try ringing your daddy again Ey, see where he is." punching in the numbers into the school's land line, Rachel tried for a second time to make some type of contact with the young child's fathe,r only for it to go straight to voicemail.

" well little one, looks like we're going to have to wait a little longer" Rachel knew she had to ring the police, report the abandonment of a two-year-old child to the authorities, she knew she couldn't continue caring for him into the evening, she was not a foster carer, she was a head teacher; a very tired one at that. When she started her day, she didn't expect it to end sharing a desk with a two-year-old who was running a tiny 4x4 over her department reports.

20 minutes later, it appeared the toddler had had enough of playing Cars and was ready to fall asleep in the headmistress's arms, his little hand resting on her chest as she cradled him gently.

Rachel couldn't help but look at him, look at his little nose, his long eye lashes, she couldn't help but feel attached to him, it was like her maternal instincts had kicked in at full force all at once and her one purpose now was to protect this little boy and keep him safe.

Her thoughts were disrupted by a knocking on her office door, a loud frantic knock, getting repeatedly louder by the second.

Standing quickly, Rachel rushed towards the door. Whoever it was, they needed to stop knocking and to stop knocking right now if she had any chance of keeping this child asleep.

Extending her hand to the door handle Rachel gripped down quickly pulling the door open.

She went to say something, to chastise the person standing opposite her for knocking so loudly! but she couldn't, the words caught in her throat and her head started to whirl.

"I am so sorry I'm late I was in a ...meeting."

No No No, it couldn't be! This couldn't be happening to her!

Why? Why?

She couldn't think anymore, she was numb, she couldn't believe it.

She couldn't help herself, she had to talk, she had to say something, just to prove to herself it was real.

"Eddie..."

A soft gentle knock on her office