This morning had been nothing if not eventful, Eddie thought as he accepted the coffee Steph slid across the small kitchen island. In all honesty, he hadn't been sure of his original motive when making his way up to the school - he wanted to see Rachel, he knew that much at least - but perhaps this was the perfect thing for him to do. This was the only place he'd ever really settled, even before Rachel had arrived to take on the headship abandoned by Jack. He felt he belonged here, that he could truly help the kids of this school and that belief had only increased tenfold when things had started improving after her arrival.

Yes, he'd left so that he wouldn't have to be tortured by the sight of Rachel day in and day out. To have her so close yet so far away from him. The mere thought of it had made him nauseous but then the alternative had been no better in the slightest. Not having her in his life made absolutely no sense and he wasn't sure why he ever thought it would.

"Ah, Chris," Steph interrupted his thoughts as she waved over who he assumed was another of the merger staff intake for the simple reason that he'd never seen him before, "come and meet your highly revered predecessor."

The younger man's eyebrows raised as he smiled and held out a hand to Eddie, "Chris Mead, great to meet you finally."

"You too," Eddie replied, shaking the outstretched hand. Steph had not too politely made a joke about Rachel and her apparent attraction to her deputies - it stung to be referred to as something so trivial when it came to what he and Rachel had shared and now meeting the man himself hurt all the more - still, he wasn't in the position to claim her as his own. He never would. "I hope you're looking after the place."

"Doing my best," Chris chuckled as he moved around Steph to grab a mug for himself, fixing a cup of tea as he continued, "I can't say it hasn't been challenging, what with Max and Rachel and the settling of the merger-"

"Max and Rachel?" Eddie asked just as the blonde nudged Chris in the ribs in a not so subtle attempt at getting him to shut up.

Chris eyed Steph with a confused frown, "Oh, I uh…" he stammered, straining his tea bag before dropping it into the bin in the corner, not looking Eddie fully in the eye now he'd put his foot in it - Eddie had suspected that word of their break-up would have spread through the staff room the moment he left and quite clearly he hadn't been wrong - "I assumed this one would have filled you in."

"She didn't," Eddie looked to an unnaturally quiet Steph who could only grin sheepishly in response.


"Rachel?"

Why the hell would he want to come back here after all this time? How could he think that this was in any way a good idea? And if she said no - because she knew straight off the bat that Eddie's experience alone was enough to land him the job, never mind his sterling reputation as an educator and his past performance - how would that look to any who knew the history between them? And Adam. How in god's name would she break it to him that her ex - who she'd been madly in love with and shared a ridiculous amount of unfinished business with - was working here again?

"Jesus, Rachel. Breathe."

She blinked out of her racing thoughts when a hand came to rest upon her shoulder, shaking her gently. Kim had gotten up from her seat and was leaning across the desk, concern etching her brow as she waited for Rachel to take a full and deep breath. Her exhale was shaky but it seemed to placate her colleague who slowly lowered herself back into her seat though looked no less worried.

"I knew you two had been close but…"

Rachel's head shook as she closed her eyes against the tears suddenly welling there because close was nowhere near the truth. "I loved him, Kim.' And then, because she needed someone to confide in after this morning's surprise, she continued, "Probably more than I've ever loved anyone in the entirety of my life. But the timing was wrong. There was Ralph Mellor to deal with and Phillip and my sister and…" she sighed tearily, a tear trailing down her cheek as she looked back at Kim, "I told him I couldn't handle being his girlfriend on top of it all."

"Something you've clearly regretted ever since."

Her lower lip trembled as she nodded somewhat defeatedly. It was probably the first time she'd truly admitted her regret in telling Eddie to leave both to anyone else and, more importantly, to herself. She'd had many a conversation with Phillip in regards to her ex - she hated referring to him as something that felt like a throwaway term but it's what he was - had asked her nephew time and time again to stop dredging up the past because 'What's done is done.'

"Oh, Rachel."

She raised her hands to stop any more pity. What the hell was she doing crying in her office and in front of a colleague no less. "I'm just being silly."

Kim's lips pursed, watching the way Rachel was pulling herself back together as quickly as possible after showing a tiny sign of weakness for once. She wanted to encourage the chat, it was her job after all, but she could see it making the head uncomfortable and so replied with a simple, "No you aren't," and "but if you want to come and see me to carry this chat on some other time then please do, Rachel. My door's open to staff as well as students."

"I do appreciate it, Kim." Rachel replied, clearing her throat as she sat up straighter in her chair, trying to shake herself out of her regret, "Honestly."

The art teacher smiled as she rubbed her thighs for a moment before standing up and bidding her goodbyes, wishing Rachel luck with the forthcoming interviews - Rachel knew she really meant the one with Eddie but she thanked her all the same and waited for the door to close behind Kim before exhaling a trembling breath. She internally berated herself for being so openly vulnerable in front of her staff. It was something she didn't do often and something she'd only really done with Eddie...and Adam if she were being honest with herself. God, this whole thing was a mess.

She rolled her eyes at herself before turning to begin scrolling through the mountain of emails she needed to start working through in between interviews. It was going to be a hard day today and she needed to be on top form if she were to make it through.

"Get it together, Mason."


"He was an absolute nightmare," Steph informed him over her steaming mug. His own sat untouched on the coffee table between them as he listened to her recount the former executive head's time here. "I was surprised we hadn't seen it earlier, they were always having a barney but I thought it was just that."

"He was bullying her?" His blood boiled at the nod Steph gave in response, eyes moving to the others sat around them waiting for the morning bell to sound. Budgen barely looked up from the Racing Post, no surprise there, but Eddie was glad to see a few sheepish looking faces averting their gaze.

"In fairness," Chris piped up from beside Tom, "he wasn't like that at John Fosters."

"So, I'm assuming Rachel kept it to herself," Eddie retorted, uninterested in Chris's explanation, "how this Max was treating her?"

Again, a sheepish glance was passed between Steph and Chris as they especially recalled the tension that had built between Kim and Rachel as a result of the former's inability to see Max's true colours.

"Because I can't see a supposedly intelligent group of people like yourselves taking the word of this Max fella over Rachel Mason's." He looked from the newer intake of staff to those he himself had worked with, sitting forward in his seat and levelling both Steph and Tom with a look that held no politeness, "A woman who has worked tirelessly to improve this school since the moment she arrived." He shook his head, "She turned this whole place around and we all know it, we all saw it. So, how the hell was her judgement or even her intentions pulled into question in the first place?" He truly couldn't understand it. She'd done nothing but good for this school, "She laid down her bloody life for this place and it's pupils, more than once!"

"Alright mate, we get it." Tom sighed, looking slightly guilty as he shrugged, "we already know we've done wrong by her but it was sorted at the time. We realized the truth before it was too late."

Eddie's eyes rolled.

"You didn't meet him Eddie," Steph added, eyes darting from him to the door and back, "he had us all fooled."

He huffed a sarcastic laugh, sitting himself back into his seat and shaking his head. If he'd have been here, he wouldn't have been fooled because he knew Rachel. Everything she did, she did it for the good of the school, that had never been in question. And to hear that she'd almost been driven from the place she loved didn't sit right with him, it didn't sit right with him at all. But then...he hadn't been here, had he? He'd run off at the first sign of trouble, had picked up and left her here alone. He was a fine one to berate them.

"Anyway," Tom set his mug down on the coffee table, leaning his elbows on his thighs. "How's the baby?"

"Mr Lawson?"

Eddie turned - gratefully - at the sound of his name to find Joyce in the staff room doorway, a warm smile on her face.

"She's ready for you now."


"Great to meet you too," she smiled politely, shaking the outstretched hand of the final candidate of the day before Eddie, nerves skittering in her stomach even as she told her, "we'll be in contact shortly regarding the outcome."

She gave herself a moment, just a moment, after the interview to inhale a few calming breaths before she called through for Joyce to bring in the last interviewee. To her relief, he'd camped out in the staff room for the morning - "Steph practically carried the poor man," Joyce joked, pulling a rather forced but polite laugh from Rachel - giving her a few more minutes before she'd have to face him properly for the first time in almost a year.

She knew already that if he truly wanted the job and could stick to her terms in regards to keeping their relationship strictly professional and nothing else, he had it already. Without showing any bias, none of the others matched up to Eddie in the slightest. He was truly the best candidate for the job.

The distraction of the previous interviews had helped to calm her down somewhat - she was certainly nowhere near the state she'd found herself in when Kim had told her of Eddie's arrival and his wish to return to teaching - helped her to put things a little more into perspective in her own mind.

So what if he worked here again. It wasn't like he was going to be her deputy again, she barely saw the Maths teacher who'd left at the end of last term. The only reason she'd been down that particular block in the past was so that she could see Eddie on the days his timetable kept him out of her office more regularly.

"Eh, no running. That bell is for me more than it is for you."

She smiled warmly at the sound of his voice, waiting outside as his year 9's left one by one. She could hear the whispers as she made her way inside his classroom, could feel their little eyes on her back, giggling and daring to murmur "Mason for Lawson". Normally she'd turn on her heel and frighten the daylights out of the little bleeders but she was in too much of a good mood this morning and so, as much of a rarity as it was, she pretended she hadn't heard it - they weren't exactly wrong, were they?

"Ah, Miss Mason," Eddie grinned looking up from his desk at the sound of his classroom door clicking shut. "What can I do for you?"

She shrugged playfully as she slowly strolled towards him, her fingertips sliding across his desk in aimless patterns as she tilted her head, revelling in the way his eyes moved across her face. He always did that, almost like he was taking all of her in for the first time. She loved how it made her feel. "Just making sure you're staying out of trouble," and then, after allowing her lips to curl into a smile at the breath of laughter she received from him, she shrugged again, eyes falling to his chest as she added, "you've not been in the office much this week."

"Oh…" Eddie breathed, tone softening as he stepped in closer to her, the toes of their shoes touching. "Have you missed me, Rachel?"

"Don't be so ridiculous," she feigned denial, glancing up to find him smirking down at her.

"Well," he laughed again, "it's actually a good job you came down to visit us lonely mathematicians." He raised his eyebrows with a smile when she cocked her head, eyes narrowing suspiciously as she hummed in question. "It just so happens that I've got something for you over in that corner there."

This really did stump her. "Wha-"

"Honestly, Rach."

"Eddie, I-woah!" she laughed loudly in surprise, hands coming up to grasp his elbows as he led her backwards with palms on her upper arms. That laughter was swallowed by his mouth on hers and soon morphed into a soft moan before she realised where they were and gave him a shove just hard enough to have him breaking the kiss. "We're in school!" she hissed on a laugh, looking around for any witnesses.

He shook his head with a boyish grin as he leaned in closer once again, rubbing his nose against hers quickly as he explained, "Blindspot."

Sure enough, when she turned her head enough to look over at the door, he'd found them just the right angle to keep them from sight of any passers by. "Well," she conceded with a grin, turning her head to find he'd remained as close as he possibly could as her hands trailed up and over his chest with one moving to grip the back of his hair, "who am I to argue with a mathematician?"

"Rach?"

She blinked out of her thoughts, heart thudding hard at the sight of him standing there in her doorway. "It's almost as if you never left," she said without realising she'd spoken aloud. That was until he replied.

"You can say that again," he laughed softly, clearly glad for her unintentional greeting.

In all honesty, it calmed her a little too even as she cleared her throat with a nervous cough and nodded at the chair opposite her desk, "Take a seat." She winced internally, was that too formal?

He caught the slight furrow of her brow however - he always could read her perfectly - and replied, "I won't lie," sitting himself down and looking as uncomfortable as she felt, "I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked in here."

"Especially after this morning, I'm guessing." There was no use pretending it hadn't happened, not even to save her own dignity. She'd run away, plain and simple.

"Well, uh…" he shifted with a nervous laugh, "I think it was a bit of a shock for both of us, seeing one another again after so...long."

She smiled thinly at him.

"I didn't come here for an interview…" he began, wincing at the way her shoulders minutely dropped with a slight exhale of relief as he added, "initially."

Rachel blinked, somewhat confused by that. "Well, why else would you come here, Eddie?" She already knew, of course she did. He'd come to speak with her, that much was obvious. Sure, he'd gotten on with most teachers in this school, that was just in his good nature but the only real relationship - both platonic and romantic - that he'd had here had been with her. Still, she awaited his answer quietly and with butterflies in her stomach because a silent, selfish part of her wanted him to confirm it, to tell her that he'd come back for her.

He breathed a heavy exhale through his nose as he clasped his hands together between his knees, looking down at them for a moment before explaining, "I wanted to apologise for not telling you earlier that I was living back round here."

So he did move away, Rachel thought quietly to herself. Was that with Melissa? Were they no longer together? Or had she just been waiting for him in bed while he collected the morning milk delivery? "I haven't been keeping track of your living arrangements if I'm honest, Eddie."

That hurt him, she caught the flash in his eyes of pain as he swallowed thickly and nodded, "Still...I could see that you were surprised to see me this morning."

Her body ran cold at that. The truth was that she'd been too wrapped up in Adam for most of last night and some of this morning to truly register where he lived but she couldn't exactly tell Eddie that and how the hell would she lie about forgetting where Eddie lived? With a steadying breath and a thudding heart, she offered a half truth. "I'd stayed over at a friend's house the previous night and hadn't realised which road she lived on."

His eyes didn't leave her own for a long moment, studying her as he always had when he thought her to be lying but, thankfully, he didn't follow it up with another question. Instead he simply nodded again and told her, "Well, that was everything. I'm back in the area and now that I know there's a teaching position going here, I'd love to be taken into consideration."

"It is only a teaching position. I already have a deputy."

"I'm well aware," he smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. He seemed almost disappointed. "I've missed teaching, especially in this place and it's not as though I need the money anymore…" he trailed off at that, a completely different expression on his face that told her there was something she wasn't yet aware of.

"Eddie, wh-"

A knock on the door had them both startling slightly as Jo Lipsett came into view, a concerned expression on her face. "Rachel, I- Oh God, I'm sorry!"

Before Rachel could fully acknowledge the interruption, Eddie was getting to his feet with a laugh as he told the French teacher, "Don't worry, I think I've said all that needs saying. She's all yours."

Jo thanked Eddie before making her way straight over to the sofa, clearly something troubling her, as Eddie looked over to Rachel in a way that almost made her lightheaded as she told him, "I'll be in touch." And watched him leave through her office door. She had to offer him the position. He was more than qualified and a good influence on even the more difficult students. He just fit. The only thing she had to worry about was how she was going to see him every day without falling for him all over again.