To say that Rachel was a little suspicious was an understatement.

The minute they had driven into Waterloo Road she had seen them. Chlo and Donte, hanging around their van on the school premises. It was unusual for any of the kids to be in school at 7:30AM, especially those two. They had an apartment that was a fifteen minute walk from the school and, on the last day of term, it wasn't like they needed to be in early.

Rachel had been fine with Chlo and Donte having their van on the premises during the school day. They used it for Chlo's hairdressing, so she could practice and earn some money at the same time. It wasn't something Rachel would usually allow, but, as Chlo was pregnant, she needed all the support she could get, not just in terms of her education, but financially too. By offering to style student's hair at break and lunchtimes, she was working her way up to getting her NVQ and making a bit of money at the same time. The two of them were doing well, or they had been anyway. Now it didn't look like it was the case. It didn't even look like they had just arrived. The van was set up as usual... almost as though it had never been moved.

Her suspicions were confirmed further when she and Eddie had approached them. Their eyes had darted in every direction, Donte's nervous laugh echoing in the air whilst Chlo kicked at the mud on her shoes. Something wasn't quite right; she could tell by Chlo's greasy hair and the mismatched yellow top and grey joggers she was wearing. She could tell from Donte's scruffy uniform that smelt like it hadn't been washed.

"I don't understand how you don't think that was odd!" she huffed as she walked down the corridor with Eddie

"Rach, they said themselves they just got here early to sort some things out!" he reasoned

"And you honestly believe that, do you? You believe that two kids have willingly come to school at 7:30AM on the last day of term and act suspicious when the Head Teacher and her Deputy walk past them?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow at him

Eddie thought for a moment. Looking back, it did seem a little strange, especially with their shabby appearances. It was hard enough getting some of the kids in at 8:30AM when school actually started. Maybe Rachel was right, she usually had a good instinct with things like this. But what could they do? It was the last day of term.

"Look, I'll speak to Tom this morning if I get chance, ok? If not, then we'll just have to keep an eye on the situation when we come back after Christmas, alright? It's not really any of our business, Rach, it's between them and Tom. There's nothing we can do until we've got the facts" he pointed out

Rachel nodded.

When they reached her office, Rose and Denzil were already sat in the antechamber waiting.

"Hi, Rose. Welcome back, Denzil" Rachel greeted

Denzil smiled at her nervously.

"It's nice to see you back, Miss Mason. Are you feeling better?" Rose asked

"I am, Rose. Thank you"

"Good. I'm sorry we're a bit early... it's just that, I need to be in the kitchen with Candeece" Rose explained

"That's fine, we can talk now. Come through" Rachel nodded

They all clambered into the office, Rachel closing the door behind them. Eddie settled himself at the table, whilst Rachel sat at her desk. She could tell Eddie had been occupying her chair for the last week. The seat had been lowered and the back rest was reclining too far back, making it feel like she was lying down rather than sitting up. She made a mental note to adjust it later.

"So, Denzil, it's nice to have you back. How are you doing?" she started, turning to the eleven year old

"Fine, thanks, Miss" he mumbled

"He's a bit nervous about coming back to school. Aren't you, Den?" Rose cut in, rubbing his arm gently

Denzil nodded shyly.

"It's ok to be nervous, Denzil. You're going to be just fine though, I promise" Rachel reassured, smiling softly at the young boy

Denzil nodded again.

"As today is the last day of term, and we're only here until lunchtime, you'll be doing some English work with Miss Koreshi this morning. How does that sound?" Rachel continued

"Ok" Denzil mumbled

"So, what happens after that?" Rose asked

"Well, obviously at the moment, we don't really know Denzil's capabilities. So when we come back after Christmas, we'll get him assessed and make sure he's put into the right classes" Rachel explained

"He's never been the best at concentrating, have you, love?" Rose sighed, nudging Denzil gently

Denzil shook his head.

"But as long as he behaves himself..." she continued with a shrug

Rachel smiled.

"Why don't you have a wander round and get to know the place, Denzil?" Rachel suggested

The young boy nodded, still looking unsure.

"It's going to be alright, you know?" she reassured

Denzil stood up quietly, wrapping his coat around himself. Rose smiled at Rachel gratefully.

"Denzil, you should be really proud of your Mum. She's achieved a lot since you've been away" Rachel added

Denzil looked to Rose as she smiled at him before leading him away, shutting the door behind her. That was one less thing to worry about.

"What happened to you not doing any work today?" Eddie huffed with a slight chuckle

"Sorry" Rachel giggled

"We didn't even get through the gates and you were already in Head Teacher mode, looking at Chlo and Donte and wondering what they were doing!"

"I'm sorry, I can't help it" she shrugged with a smirk

Eddie shook his head as he laughed.

"What am I going to do with you, Miss Mason?" he whispered playfully, leaning over her chair to wrap his arms around her shoulders

She sighed contentedly as he placed a kiss on her cheek. She turned her head to look up at him, her heart fluttering when she saw him gazing at her lovingly.

"I am ok, you know? You can go and teach this morning if you want to" she told him, stroking his cheek with her thumb

"I don't want you having to break up fights or dealing with naughty kids, Rach. You should still be off work really" he argued

"I know I should, but I'm ok" she insisted

Eddie wasn't convinced, causing Rachel to sigh.

"You have to stop looking and treating me like I'm going to break at any moment" she added

"I know. I just... I worry, that's all. I don't want you collapsing on the living room floor again" he admitted

Rachel rested her forehead against his, placing a soft kiss on his nose. He smiled. Eddie very rarely panicked about anything. But when he did, Rachel knew exactly how to calm his racing mind.

"That's not going to happen again, Eddie. I promise" she reassured

Eddie raised an eyebrow at her. She couldn't promise him that.

"Look, why don't we compromise? If something kicks off, I will get Bridget to come and get you, ok? And in the meantime, I'll sit and do some paperwork" she suggested

Eddie thought for a moment. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. He knew Rachel was itching to get her independence back, and he needed to let her get back on her feet. It was only for two hours and he knew she would get him if something happened.

"Alright. But any problems, you get Bridget to fetch me straightaway, ok?"

She nodded.

"Right then, I should go and look at my lesson plans" he decided

"Before you do that, you can do the staff briefing. And you can fix whatever you've done to my chair!" she teased

Eddie chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Rach, but the way you sit in that chair is like sitting against a plank of wood!" he argued

"It's called having good posture! I currently feel like I'm lying down in bed!" she shot back with a giggle

Eddie laughed, crouching down to adjust the seat.

"How's that?" he asked once he'd finished

"Much better, thank you" she nodded

"Good, now, come on. I've got a staff briefing to do" Eddie said, pulling Rachel to her feet

Rachel smiled, following him out of the office.