Born in the fire- A Reddie Fanfiction

Chapter One

It was finally the end of term at Waterloo Road. Rachel's first year at the school had been a success. The school was thriving, as were the students and staff. And she was too, to her surprise.

Rachel Mason had been in love before. And she had gotten hurt. It was, after that heartbreak, that she graduated from University and threw herself into her career. She had no time for love or a boyfriend. She wasn't going to get hurt again. It was easier that way. And besides, she'd never met anyone who she thought had the potential to be the person that she would settle down with. All the men that she knew and worked with were either married, with children, or were lone wolves like she was. And that was ok.

When she had first started at Waterloo Road, she hadn't expected to fall head over heels for Eddie Lawson, the Deputy Head. From the moment she met him, there was something about him. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. He was stubborn, like her, passionate and driven too.

They'd despised one another at first. They argued, they wound each other up until one of them exploded. They glared at each other in the corridors. Rachel had even called him a 'dinosaur' once, because of his old-fashioned, sometimes sexist, views. It was one of those heated arguments that had led to their first kiss. That kiss had ended the feud between them. Except it wasn't a feud at all, it was love. The feud had turned into passion, the passion into a loving relationship. Rachel had fallen for Eddie, just as much as Eddie had fallen for her. Rachel had never felt about someone the way that she felt about Eddie. Eddie felt the same.

Things had happened at a dangerously fast pace, but it was one Eddie and Rachel were happy with. Two months in, Eddie had moved in with Rachel. It felt natural, just like everything else between the two of them.

A month after that, they had found out Rachel was pregnant. The two of them were over the moon. They were going to be parents! Everything had happened so quickly, but it didn't scare either of them. It felt right. It was like it was always meant to be.

The months leading up to the end of the school year had flown by for the two of them. Rachel was now 38 weeks pregnant, and everything was going well. Even though she was uncomfortable, and felt like the size of a house, she was enjoying every moment. Pregnancy was a daunting but magical experience. She memorised and savoured every kick, every movement from their little girl. She treasured the times she spent sat on the sofa with Eddie, talking to the baby. She'd been on cloud nine from the second she'd received the positive pregnancy test. Apart from Eddie, this was the best thing to have ever happened to her.

Eddie thought pregnancy suited Rachel; she was glowing and radiant. She took his breath away every day. He loved her. She was going to be a fantastic Mum to their little girl. He couldn't wait for their future.

Eddie and Rachel were more than ready for the arrival of their baby girl in two weeks time. Everything was sorted. The nursery had been decorated. The crib had been assembled. They had more nappies, toys and baby clothes than they knew what to do with. Now it was just a waiting game.

Rachel was glad it was the end of term now. It meant she and Eddie could focus on the impending birth of their little girl. And besides, she was exhausted and in need of a rest! When you worked at a school like Waterloo Road, being rushed off your feet was part of the job description!

The bell rang for lunch. Rachel sighed in relief. Only two hours to go. Two more hours, and then it would be the summer holidays, and she would be going on Maternity Leave, leaving everything in Eddie's more than capable hands.

The morning so far had been a quiet one. No students had been sent to her office, no staff had come in, ranting and raving about something or other. Rachel had been able to complete all of her paperwork with no distractions, meaning she had nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon. She smiled at the thought of just being able to have a rest.