*This chapter is M rated as it contains a sex scene*

Two hours later...

The second Rachel and Eddie had arrived at home, Eddie had been insistent that she go and sit down whilst he cooked dinner. After a little back and forth between the two of them, Rachel had agreed, on the condition that she could do her paperwork. Eddie had reluctantly agreed. So, that's what they were doing. Eddie was in the kitchen, and she was in the living room.

Before they'd headed home a couple of hours ago, they'd sat down with Philip on the sofas in Rachel's office and talked things through. It was what they'd all needed.

Philip had agreed to be referred to the school counsellor. He had also agreed to have a think about his interests, so he could join some clubs, or they could find things they could all do together at weekends. Rachel felt better knowing there was a plan of action in place now to help Philip. She still felt guilty of course, but they could fix it, which was the main thing.

Having finished the last of her paperwork, she got up from the sofa and made her way into the kitchen. She stood in the doorway for a few moments, watching Eddie as he stirred the risotto he was making for dinner. It smelt heavenly.

"You're supposed to be resting" he told her

"I had to make sure you weren't blowing up the kitchen" she teased

"Still don't trust me, eh?"

Rachel shook her head with a giggle.

Eddie wandered over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, causing her to hum contentedly.

"Dinner is nearly ready" he whispered, brushing her cheek with his thumb

"Good, I'm starving!" she laughed

Eddie chuckled.

"Nice to know your appetite is still going strong!"

She smiled.

"It is nice to be able to eat without having to vomit right after" she admitted

Eddie nodded. It was a relief for him too.

"I'll go and fetch Philip" she decided, making her way upstairs

Philip was sat on his bed when she knocked on his door. He smiled at her awkwardly.

"Dinner is ready" she told him

"Ok. I'll be down in a minute"

Rachel nodded, turning to head back downstairs.

"Rach?" he called after her

She spun around, frowning when she saw the nervous expression etched on his face.

"I-I wanted to ask you something" he mumbled

Sensing this was a private matter, Rachel stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. She knew if it was something he didn't mind talking about, he would have spoken to both her and Eddie when they were sat at the table having dinner.

She sat down on the bed beside him, offering a reassuring smile.

"Go on" she encouraged

Philip took a deep breath.

"I... want to try and get in touch with my Dad" he blurted

Rachel was a little taken aback by his confession. As far as she knew, his Dad had left when Philip was two years old. Of course Melissa had been the one to tell her that, so she wasn't sure of the exact circumstances, or if it was the actual truth. With Melissa, it was best to take everything she said with a pinch of salt.

Of course it was natural for Philip to want to find and have a relationship with his Father. But Rachel needed to make sure he knew of the potential consequences.

"I've been thinking about it for a while. I know his address, so I could write to him. I'm not doing it because I want to leave here, Rach. I just want the opportunity to know my Dad" he explained

"Philip, I have no objection to you trying to contact him. But before you do, you need to consider the potential repercussions. For example, he might not know he's still married to your Mum. Or, he might not want to have contact with you. And the address you have might be an old one"

"I know, I've considered all that. But I really don't care. I just want to try. He left when I was two years old and I've never known why. I just want to try and get some answers"

Rachel nodded.

"Ok, then, that's what we'll do. Eddie and I will support you, whatever you decide and whatever happens"

"Thanks, Rach"

She smiled, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

"Come on, let's get some dinner"

...

Three hours later...

After finishing the washing up from dinner, Eddie and Rachel changed into their pyjamas and settled on the sofa, curled up in each other's arms.

Rachel was tired. It was only 9pm and she was tempted to just crawl into bed. She supposed she'd have to get used to this level of fatigue now she was pregnant. She wouldn't be able to do a full day at Waterloo Road without wearing herself out. Maybe she needed to slow down a little.

She sighed heavily as she leaned back into Eddie, yawning. Eddie smiled, wrapping his arms around her.

"Tired, are we?"

She nodded.

"I didn't even do much today" she huffed

"It's this little one wearing you out" he told her, placing his hand on top of her stomach

Rachel smiled, placing her hand on top of his.

"It's worth being tired for that reason" she said

"You might not be saying that in a few months when you have swollen ankles, aching feet, cramps and backache" he pointed out with a chuckle

Rachel giggled.

"Remember that your iron levels have been low too. That can cause fatigue. The Doctor said it could take a few months for the iron tablets to take effect. It'll hopefully improve as time goes on" he added

"I hope you're right" she sighed

"Are we going to discuss what we were talking about this morning?" he asked tentatively

"You mean about my maternity leave?" she checked

He nodded.

Rachel sat up, turning to face him properly. She slipped her hand into his to let him know she didn't want to argue over this.

"I haven't changed my mind about it" she told him firmly

"I know. But can we compromise somewhere? Why don't you just come back part-time after the baby is born? Ease yourself in?" he suggested

Rachel thought for a moment. Maybe Eddie was right. Maybe it would be too much coming into work every day with a four or five month old to look after. Yes, she knew other women who had gone back to work when their baby was four or five months old, but they always did part-time to start with until their little one was at least 18 months old. Perhaps there was a reason for it.

"Ok" she said eventually

"Ok?" Eddie repeated, bewildered

She nodded.

"Yes. I'll come back part time initially, if I feel I want to come back that early"

Eddie kissed her as a silent gesture of appreciation. She smiled, deepening the kiss before pulling away from him.

"So, what other pregnancy symptoms have you been having?" he asked, placing his hand on her thigh

Rachel smirked. Apart from the fatigue, there was one other symptom that she was experiencing, which she didn't feel overly comfortable talking about. The thought of it made her blush. She had managed to keep it to herself, but it was getting harder to do so. She was trying to ignore the fact that sizzling lightning bolts were shooting up and down her thigh from him just placing his hand there.

It had been going on for the last couple of days. The lightest of touches from him were too much sometimes. Just looking at him was often enough to make her body react. She'd heard it was normal to be more... aroused... than usual during pregnancy, but she hadn't quite expected it to happen at such intensity.

"Nothing, apart from my boobs being a bit sore and... getting a little... flustered when I'm... around you"

"Is that code for 'I'm horny'?" he asked, smirking

"Maybe" she shrugged innocently, blushing

Eddie raised an eyebrow playfully.

"Miss Mason, are you having unprofessional thoughts about your fiancé and Deputy?"

Rachel laughed, moving so she was straddling him.

"Always, Mr Lawson" she whispered seductively in his ear

"Well, if your boobs are sore and you keep getting flustered around me, we will have to do something about that, won't we?" he whispered playfully, his hands moving to stroke her hips

Rachel giggled as his mouth moved to trail soft kisses down her neck. She sighed contentedly, a pool of warm wetness forming between her legs.

"Shall we take this upstairs?" he asked

She nodded. The last thing Philip needed today was to walk in on the two of them having sex on the sofa. He would be traumatised for life.

Eddie stood up, lifting Rachel into his arms and carrying her up the stairs. He tried to stifle his groans as she peppered kisses down his neck and chest, teasing him. Her rocking her hips gently against his wasn't helping.

When they finally made it into the bedroom, he shut the door with his foot before laying Rachel down on the bed gently. He quickly changed out of his pyjamas, leaving his boxers on. Rachel had crawled under the covers. She smiled at him playfully, eyes sparkling with love and lust. Seductively, she tapped the empty space next to her.

Eddie didn't take much persuading. He climbed into bed beside her, arms wrapping around her waist as he pulled her in for a deep, passionate kiss. She moaned lightly, butterflies and tingling ripples of electricity erupting inside her as his fingers moved under her shirt, brushing her skin softly.

One by one, he started to undo the buttons of her pyjama top, teasingly kissing each bit of bare skin as it was revealed to him. Rachel sighed contentedly, relaxing back against the pillows.

Once all the buttons were undone, the pyjama top was discarded on the floor. Without hesitation, his hands moved to her breasts. He delighted in her groan as he started to massage them gently, his thumbs playing with her nipples in a way he always knew made her melt.

"How's that?" he asked as he continued

She nodded quietly, sighing in relief as she felt the tenderness in her breasts ease somewhat. She sat up a little, snaking her arms around his neck to pull him closer as she caught his lips with her own. Her heart fluttered in her chest, as it always did when she kissed him. Her moans were quiet and muffled by their kissing as Eddie flicked her nipples with his thumbs.

Using his leg, he pulled her pyjama bottoms and underwear down. She kicked them off lightly, hearing a quiet thud as they landed in the pile of clothes on the bedroom floor. He temporarily stopped in his tracks so he could admire her beautiful body. He loved her so much.

Her eyes fluttered with desire as she looked at him, silently urging him to continue. He placed his hand on her inner thigh, already being able to feel how much she wanted and needed him.

Gently, he inserted a finger inside her, circling it around her clitoris. She gasped, a soft moan escaping her lips. Just the contact was enough to send her spiralling into the realms of pleasure. Her hips bucked involuntarily against his hand. She bit hard on her bottom lip, letting the pleasure take over her. Eddie smiled.

"Does that feel good?" he asked, smirking at how turned on she was already

She nodded breathlessly, another loud moan escaping her lips. Every inch of her body felt like it was on fire, tingling with blissful pleasure.

Eddie picked up his pace, thrusting his fingers into her as his thumb firmly stroked and pressed on her clitoris. She shuddered against him, the pleasure building and building inside her. Stars began to cloud her vision.

"Eddie! I need you inside me, please!" she whined, gasping and moaning in pleasure

Eddie wasted no time, kicking off his boxers. He entered her gently, rocking against her at a slow and steady pace, his thumb still giving her clitoris some much needed attention. Their moans and groans of pleasure echoed through the room, the headboard of the bed banging rhythmically into the wall. Rachel was trembling, her walls quivering with every thrust and brush of his thumb. She was close, teetering on the edge of falling into blissful pleasure.

Eddie could feel her walls fluttering around him. He was close himself, Rachel's moans and cries of pleasure spurring him on. They were both close to the edge of what they wanted and needed.

Eddie once again picked up his pace, pounding into her with satisfied groans, his head buried in the crook of her neck. She moaned loudly, crying out as she tumbled over the edge into a mind-blowing orgasm. She held onto him tightly, whispering his name over and over again. It wasn't long before Eddie joined her, cumming inside her with a yell of her name.

Eddie moved off of her, pulling her into his arms. She smiled softly, curling into his side. He placed a kiss on her forehead, both of them breathing heavily. A contented sigh escaped her lips as she rested her head on his chest.

"You know, I think that was our best one yet" he commented breathlessly

Rachel giggled. He wasn't wrong. Sex with Eddie was always good, but it had never been this good. On this occasion, she was grateful to her hormones for heightening every sensation, even if she was currently struggling to catch her breath.

"Round two, or bed?" he asked cheekily

She smacked his chest playfully.

"Maybe round two tomorrow when we've both recovered from round one" she suggested, laughing

Eddie chuckled, kissing her cheek as he switched off the light.