Rachel sighed as she sank into her desk chair. The bell had just gone off to signal the end of the day. She couldn't believe how quick the hours had passed.

It was no surprise that the staff were shocked but delighted that Rachel and Eddie were in charge of Waterloo Road again. Neither of them would forget the looks on their former colleagues' faces when they had walked into the staff room. Rachel knew the LEA hadn't exactly been secretive deliberately, but it had been a nice surprise for everyone, especially her. She had been shocked this morning when she'd seen him stood in the doorway, but now she was happy and relieved.

From 9AM, she and Eddie hadn't stopped. Surprisingly, she didn't feel tired or rushed off her feet. She was buzzing with energy.

She hadn't found it awkward being around Eddie again at all. If anything, being back in his company was a huge comfort. It was like old times, it was easy and natural. They'd laughed and chatted away all day whilst completing paperwork and doing various other jobs. There was no awkwardness or tension between them at all. She was relieved that Eddie was the Deputy Head again. He knew how the school ran under her leadership. She didn't have to teach him a thing. She felt confident that when she went on maternity leave in two months time that the school would be in safe hands.

She couldn't deny it though, she was holding back from him a little. There were two elephants in the room. The first being Adam. She knew Eddie had sensed something was off this morning between her and Adam. She knew he had questions and was a little concerned. She wished she could tell him the truth, but she couldn't. It was too painful.

Eddie hadn't mentioned Melissa once, and neither had she. If she was honest, she had been expecting him to. The fact that he hadn't made her curious. Had something happened? Or was he just being sensitive and considerate of her feelings?

"Well, that wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be!" Eddie chuckled as he entered the office

"Don't hold your breath, tomorrow could be very different!" Rachel laughed, causing Eddie to laugh too

"Do you fancy going for a drink? I'll pay" he offered as they packed their things away

"I don't think that's a good idea" Rachel replied, placing a hand on her stomach

"You can have orange juice in a wine glass? I'll have one too" he teased

Rachel smiled.

"It's tempting. But, don't you have Melissa and a baby to go home to? I doubt she'll be thrilled that we're working together again, let alone that we went to the pub together"

Eddie had forgotten about Melissa until this moment. She hadn't come up in conversation all day. Rachel hadn't asked, and he didn't blame her for not wanting to know. He had been planning on explaining, but he wanted to wait until the right moment. That was partially why he had suggested going for a drink.

"Rach... uhm- Melissa and I... we aren't together. We haven't been for three years" he explained

Rachel frowned at him. Clearly it wasn't just her life that had changed.

"Look, come to the pub with me and I will explain everything. I think we should catch up properly. It's a drink, nothing more, ok?" he reasoned

Rachel sighed. She knew it was probably a good idea to sit down and catch up with Eddie properly. The subject of Melissa would hang over them until they addressed it. The sooner they got it over and done with, the better.

"Ok, just one though"

Eddie smiled.

"Shall we go?" she added, picking up her bag

He nodded, taking her bag from her so she didn't have to carry it. She smiled. He was always such a gentleman!

...

It had been Eddie's idea for them to drive separately. Rachel drove her car home, Eddie following closely behind. Once she'd parked it on the driveway and had seen Adam's car was (to her relief) not there, she clambered out of her car and into Eddie's.

When they arrived at the pub five minutes later, Rachel couldn't help but laugh as Eddie walked around to the passenger side and helped her to stand up.

"Such a gentleman!" she teased, taking his hand and pulling herself to her feet

"I try my best" Eddie laughed

Rachel giggled. She wouldn't admit it, but she appreciated it. Standing up from a sitting position was becoming more and more of a challenge.

They headed into the pub, Rachel sitting down at a table in the corner whilst Eddie ordered the drinks at the bar. When he joined her at the table a few minutes later, he had, as promised, two wine glasses filled with orange juice in his hands.

"You know, you could have just asked for a normal glass?" She smirked

"Where's the fun in that?" Eddie smiled with a wink as he sat down

Rachel laughed.

"So, uhm- you and Melissa? What's going on?" Rachel asked tentatively as she sipped on her orange juice

"Well, after that day she showed up pregnant, I was adamant that I was only sticking around for the baby and that we weren't getting back together. She seemed ok with it,"

Rachel nodded, urging him to continue when he paused.

"Things started to feel... odd. Just little things, you know? Not letting me go to the scans with her, or to look at the ultrasound images. And then, she went into labour at 32 weeks, which sent me into a panic because of... well, you know..."

Rachel nodded, knowing exactly what and who he was referring to. Baby Stephen. She was still sure that it was a secret he only shared with Alison, Michael and her. It had (understandably) affected him deeply. She couldn't imagine the panic he'd felt when he'd received the news that Melissa's baby was premature.

"The baby was full term" he continued

She almost choked on her orange juice when he said that. It hadn't been what she was expecting him to say. She wondered if she'd heard him correctly.

"W-what?"

"She was full term, the baby, overdue actually. When I confronted Melissa, she denied everything. So I took a paternity test. Just after I sent it off, she cracked and told me the truth. The baby wasn't mine and she'd known all along. She was already pregnant when she met me. The test came back and made it all official"

Rachel sighed painfully. She wanted to be surprised by Melissa's cruel actions and lies, but she really wasn't. This was her sister all over. She always got what she wanted and she didn't care who she hurt along the way.

Still, she was speechless and was struggling to think of something to say.

"Oh, Eddie, I'm sorry" was all she could respond with

"It wasn't your fault, Rach. I shouldn't have just believed her when she first told me. Then maybe we wouldn't be where we are today"

Rachel sighed. He was right, things could have been a lot different had he not believed Melissa and had thought rationally for a moment. But Rachel had believed her too, without a doubt.

"You were thinking of that baby, Eddie. You didn't want to lose another child, anyone would have done the same" she reasoned, squeezing his hand comfortingly

Eddie nodded.

"So what happened after that?" She asked

"Well, obviously I didn't stick around. I've not seen her or spoke to her since... well since the baby was born" he shrugged

Rachel nodded quietly.

"I- I'm sorry I didn't call to tell you before now. I wanted to but... by the time I knew the truth, four months had gone by. Philip told me you'd moved house and... I knew I'd hurt you, so I didn't deserve to just walk back into your life again like nothing had happened"

"It's ok, Eddie. It was as much my decision to break up as it was yours" she reassured, squeezing his hand comfortingly

"I know, but,"

"It's ok, Eddie" she repeated firmly, smiling softly at him

Eddie smiled back at her awkwardly. Any other woman would have refused to see or speak to him ever again. But not Rachel. She was the most understanding and forgiving person he had ever met. He didn't deserve her. Even though it was a mutual decision, he knew he had hurt her deeply when they had split up. And despite all that, she was sat opposite him in the pub, chatting away to him like no time had passed.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Rachel wincing and shifting uncomfortably in her seat. He immediately panicked.

"Are you ok?"

She nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine, sorry. I just got kicked in the ribs!" she chuckled, placing a hand on her stomach

Eddie breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought you'd gone into labour!"

Rachel giggled, shaking her head. He still panicked easily.

"I've got a bit of a way to go yet. I'm only 32 weeks. This little one is just very active today" she reassured, sipping on her orange juice as she rubbed her stomach with her thumb

Eddie smiled.

"Well, I can promise that the school will be in safe hands when you go on maternity leave"

"That's the only thing I do feel reassured about!" she laughed

Eddie chuckled.

"So, Adam... your husband. What does he do?" he asked, changing the subject

Rachel's face dropped. She knew Eddie was going to ask questions about Adam, if not today then another day. She really just wanted to forget about him and not talk about him at all. But she knew if she didn't want to cause suspicion, then she'd have to answer his questions. At least he'd started off with an easy one.

"He's a chef"

Eddie frowned.

"How on earth did you of all people meet a chef?"

Rachel smirked.

"His main occupation is a Chef. But I actually knew him growing up. We went to school together. Obviously we... lost touch when I... you know..."

Eddie nodded. He still hated the way she shut down at the mention of her past. She was ashamed but she didn't need to be. The past was the past, it couldn't be changed. He didn't judge her for it, he had done once, until she'd explained what her life was like at the time. She'd made a mistake, everyone did or had done at one point or another in their life.

"Anyway, we were hiring at the school for a Healthy Eating Co-ordinator and... he was one of the candidates. He was the best out of a bad bunch really. Once he'd got the job, things just started happening so quickly. Before I knew it we were married" she continued

"Well, that's one way to meet your husband!" Eddie chuckled

Rachel smiled weakly.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, Rach. Why did you leave Waterloo Road?" he added

She swallowed the lump in her throat in an attempt to refrain from saying it was Adam's choice, not hers to leave. He had pushed her into it and had basically made her feel guilty. She had thought she was doing the right thing, choosing her marriage over her job. It was the worst mistake she'd ever made.

"Oh-uhm- well, I just kind of felt like it was... taking over my life really. I just... wanted a break" she explained

Eddie nodded, unconvinced by her answer. He knew Rachel to be a workaholic, but she loved the job. It was her life. She was dedicated to the school and the kids. He couldn't imagine her just handing in her resignation because she 'wanted a break'. It made no sense to him, but he wasn't going to challenge her on it. If there was more to it, which he believed there was, she would tell him when she was ready.

"How long were you away from the job?" he asked

"Two years. Adam and I went travelling, hopping from place to place. We didn't have a plan, we just went wherever" she told him

"I never thought you were the type of person to improvise and do things on a whim!" Eddie teased

"If I'm honest I... hated it. It was more of Adam's plan than mine. I wanted to travel of course, but I wanted to stay in one place for a bit and then move on, but he didn't. We were moving from place to place every three or four days in the end" she explained

"Is that why you decided to come back to Rochdale?"

"Partly. That and money. We've moved back into my house now as I chose not to sell it. Adam got a job at one of the restaurants in town and I'm... well... here"

"And you're happy?" Eddie asked

"Yeah, it's good to be back at work"

"I meant with Adam"

She knew that's what he had meant, but she had been determined to dodge the question. He knew when she was lying, he knew when she was trying to mask her emotions. The problem was, she didn't even want to try and mask them, or to lie to him. She wanted to tell him how unhappy she was, how frightened and unsafe she felt. She wanted to tell him that she had returned to work to keep herself safe for just a few hours, to make enough money to get her own apartment away from Adam, who was using her and the baby as a punch bag. But how could she? How could she tell him all of these things? There was nothing he could do. He couldn't help her.

"Yes, I am" she answered simply

Eddie wasn't convinced, but he nodded along anyway.

"Good, I'm glad"

"Do you want another drink?" he added

"It's my round this time" she replied, grabbing her purse

"It was my idea, I'm paying" he argued

"Sit down, Lawson. You drove us here and you bought the first round. It's my turn" she protested, standing up

"Fine, Mason, you win" he huffed

When she returned a few minutes later, instead of sitting opposite Eddie, she sat beside him. He watched her as she shifted uncomfortably, placing a hand on top of her stomach.

"Are sure you're ok?" Eddie checked

"Yeah, she keeps kicking me in the rib, that's all. She's been kicking me all day, I don't know what's the matter with her! She's never usually this lively!"

Eddie chuckled.

When Rachel felt another series of strong kicks seconds later, she couldn't stop herself from giggling, rubbing her hand up and down her stomach. Instinctively, she grabbed Eddie's hand, placing it on the spot where her little girl was kicking away.

Eddie's eyes widened in surprise at the sensation. He'd felt Michael and Stephen kick when Alison was pregnant, but he'd forgotten how amazing it was. He smiled.

"She's definitely a lively little thing!" Eddie laughed

"I know. She's not normally like this!"

"Maybe it's the orange juice?" Eddie shrugged

"Or maybe it's you" Rachel said playfully

Eddie frowned at her

"Me?"

"She's only been like this today, since you came into my office this morning!" Rachel admitted, rubbing her hand up and down her bump

Eddie smirked.

"Well, it's nice to know she likes me!" he laughed with a shrug

He watched as she smiled at him. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She was staring at him with her big brown eyes, blushing profusely. The sunlight from the window shone onto her face, making it glow. The regret he had held onto for the last three years came flooding back to him. He had forgotten how her smile made his heart flutter in his chest. He'd forgotten how her laugh was music to his ears. He'd forgotten how easy it was to get lost in her deep brown eyes. He'd forgotten how much he loved her. He never should have let her go.

His gaze was burning into her again. She could feel her cheeks turning a shade of crimson. This was the first time in a long time that she had felt happy. It was the first time she had felt truly relaxed in years. She had forgotten how safe and content Eddie made her feel. She'd forgotten how he made her heart soar. She'd missed him so much, more than she'd thought. Her little girl was kicking again, in approval of their reunion.

She suddenly felt like she could tell him what had happened over the last two years and how out of control she felt in her life. She knew he would listen and try to help. She knew he would be there for her. Maybe he could save her and her baby.

"Eddie?"

"Yeah?"

"I,"

No, she couldn't do it. What was she thinking? How could she tell him? She couldn't drag him into this. It wasn't fair.

"I'm... glad we're working together again"

Eddie smiled.

"Me too, Rach"