A/N: Well guys, we're finally here… it's the last chapter. I've enjoyed posting this, and while I might have moaned about lack of reviews from time to time (I'm looking at you Ella) the scarcity of them has made each and every one that bit more special. So this is from everyone who's reviewed, thank you, and thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy it:

Chapter 19

Rachel was sat in the board meeting, trying her hardest to focus on what was being said and prevent her mind from wandering to Eddie, Philip and her newfound happiness, completely unaware that in her office Eddie was having much the same problem. With a free period and very little marking to do he'd intended to try and get some paperwork done for her, well aware that she had too much to cope with at the moment. But sat here, in her office, he was finding it increasing difficult to keep his mind away from his earlier realisation. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He never, ever wanted them to have to be apart.

He was pretty certain she felt the same way about him. Which meant that maybe, just maybe… no, the thought was preposterous. They'd been together all of five days, and he'd been engaged to her sister before that. But still…

Eddie shook his head, trying to keep his wishes at bay. He loved her. He wanted to be with her. So he couldn't mess this up, and coming on too strong now might well do. Besides, there was Philip to think about, Philip who had far too much to worry about now without adding that to the list. Without really thinking about it, his hand found its way into his jacket pocket, locating the small box that had been there for months. As though in a trance, he pulled it out, setting it on the desk in front of him and staring at it, finding himself instantly transported back to when he had bought it.

It was a week after the fire, and she'd still been in a coma in hospital. He'd sat by her bed that morning, and he'd told her how much he loved her, and assured her that when she woke up he was going to stop hiding his feelings and do something about them. He'd told her he'd do anything for her. When visiting hours were over he'd walked into town to get some lunch, passing the Jewellers as he did so. He still didn't know what it was that had made him pause outside the window, or what it was about that particular ring that had seemed to suit her so perfectly, but before he knew what he was doing he'd bought it, leaving the shop and stowing the small box in his pocket, resolving that if, no, when she woke up, he'd give it to her.

She'd woken a few days later, and he'd realised instantly that she needed time to heal before she could even think about any more changes in her life. He'd decided to help her with that first, and then speak to her when she was better. But then she'd pushed him away, and somehow, he still wasn't sure how, he'd ended up wit her sister, making the biggest mistake he'd ever make.

And yet the ring had remained hers, somehow. It had never left his pocket, and even when he'd made the idiotic decision to propose to Mel the thought of using her ring had never even crossed his mind. And so it had stayed there, nestled in his pocket, and now he didn't know what to do. It wasn't going to go anywhere, and he really should wait at least a few weeks before making any huge commitments like that. But, somehow, the time seemed right now. Could he really do it, only five days into their relationship? It was stupid and foolhardy and would probably lead to her laughing in his face, but somehow, he still wanted to. He guessed love made people do strange things.

It was half past eight when Rachel finally fell through her front door, smiling weakly at Eddie as he appeared from the lounge, his happy expression quickly turning to one of concern at the look on her face, "Is everything alright Rach?"

She sighed, relaxing into his arms as he appeared at her side, "Yeah, the meeting just seemed to go on forever; I'm shattered!"

He laughed, rubbing her back sympathetically, "Have you eaten?"

She looked up at him guiltily, "Yeah, sorry I grabbed a sandwich on the way home; you haven't been waiting for me have you?"

He shook his head with a smile, "Nah, I ate with Phil, I didn't know what time you were going to be back."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Neither did I, I was beginning to wonder whether we were going to be there all night!"

Eddie laughed, "It's only half eight!"

Rachel glared at him, eyebrows raised, "Yeah, and I've normally been home at least three hours by now, even if I've been working there. There wasn't even any real need for me to be at the bloody meeting!"

He smiled, leaning down to kiss her softly, "Hey, relax, you're home now."

She laughed softly, realising how she must have sounded, "Yeah," she looked up at him, a contented smile playing across her lips, "with you."

Eddie nodded, grinning, "With me."

They stood in silence for a moment, before she pulled away suddenly, looking decisive, "Right, I'm going to go and have a bath, I'll see you in a bit."

Eddie smirked at her, "Want some company?"

Rachel laughed, rolling her eyes as she swatted him playfully on the arm, "No, I want some time to myself. Go talk to Phil or something," she paused, her eyes seeking his, "Where is Phil, by the way?"

Eddie laughed, "Where do you think? He's being a teenage boy; in his room, playing computer games."

Rachel nodded, grinning, "Okay, go make yourself useful, I'll be down later."

He nodded, and she disappeared upstairs, smiling to herself and leaving Eddie stood frozen in the hallway, his hand making its way to the box in his pocket. Could he, really? Suddenly coming to a decision, he followed Rachel's earlier pathway up the stairs, turning off and pausing outside Phil's door, knocking softly.

"Come in."

Eddie entered, crossing the room and perching somewhat awkwardly on the side of Philip's bed, looking over his shoulder as he paused the game he was playing and turned, "Hi Eddie, what did you want?"

Eddie looked at the floor, making Phil frown in concern, before he brought his eyes back up to meet the boy in front of him, swallowing nervously, "Well, you see, I wanted to ask you something…"

Phil frowned, looking confused, "Okay…"

Eddie looked away, his gaze landing on a poster on the wall as he let the words slip from his lips, "Er, I just wondered… what would you say if I was to ask Rachel to marry me?"

There was a long pause, and Eddie finally brought his eyes back to his Phil's face, afraid of what he would find there. To his surprise, however, the teenager was smiling, shaking his head slightly in disbelief, "I think it's completely insane considering how long you've been together," Eddie's face fell, but Phil continued, "and I think it's a fantastic idea!"

Eddie looked up again, surprised, "Really?"

Phil rolled his eyes, "Have you seen how she looks at you?"

Eddie blushed slightly, looking away, "In much the same way as I look at her?"

Phil laughed, pushing Eddie away, "Oh God soppiness alert! Go away before I throw up!"

Eddie laughed too, standing and making his way to the door, stopped by Phil's voice, much smaller now, "Oh and Eddie?"

He turned, "Yeah?"

Philip blushed, looking away, "Thanks for asking."

Eddie smiled, "No problem mate, I wasn't going to do it without checking with you first."

Rachel emerged from the bathroom, her hair hanging damp around her shoulders and a smile on her face, much more relaxed than she'd been earlier that evening. Making her way downstairs, she was surprised to notice an unfamiliar smell, and her suspicions were amplified when Eddie appeared out of the lounge, looking nervous. She frowned slightly, "Eddie, is something going on?"

He didn't reply, crossing quickly to her side and taking her hand, leading her towards the lounge. She stopped, pulling him back towards her with a suspicious look, "Eddie, what are you doing?" she looked away suddenly, "Am I about to get a nasty surprise?"

Eddie frowned, "I don't think so, at least, I hope not…"

She looked up at him, her expression suddenly afraid, "Eddie, tell me, Mel's not…"

He shook his head, silencing her with a gentle kiss before pulling away, "Relax Rachel, please."

She nodded, feeling very out of place and awkward as he led her into the lounge, gasping slightly as she entered. He'd drawn the curtains, and every candle in the house seemed to have been assembled their and lit, casting a soft orange glow over the room and resulting in that strange smell she'd identified earlier. The room had been tidied as well, she noticed, and there was a vase of roses on the coffee table. She frowned, turning back to him, "Eddie…?"

He smiled, "Like you say, you were out for a long time. Sit down, Rachel."

She did so, still looking confused, "Eddie, what's all this in aid of?"

He sat next to her, shifting so that he was looking into her eyes, speaking softly, "I love you Rachel Mason."

She smiled, leaning forwards to kiss him softly, "I know Eddie, and I love you too."

He shook his head, breaking away from her as he tried to frame the words, "No, Rach, you don't understand. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else, we've wasted so much time," he sighed, looking into her eyes again, "And I know most of that was my fault." She opened her mouth to object but he shook his head, placing a finger on her lips, "No, let me speak this time."

She fell silent, feeling a little bewildered by the whole situation. It seemed, prepared, as though he was leading up to something, almost as though he was going to… She quickly dismissed the thought, knowing better than to hope for something like that so soon. She returned her attention to the man in front of her, who'd begun speaking again, "Rachel, I know this is unorthodox, and it seems so soon, but, well, what I'm trying to say is…"

He slipped from the sofa on to the floor, pulling a small box from his pocket as he knelt in front of her, making Rachel's breath catch in her throat. Surely this wasn't what it looked like? Eddie opened the box, revealing a sparkling ring as he spoke, "Rachel I love you with all my heart, and however soon this seems I have to say it… will you marry me?"

There was silence for a moment, and when Eddie met Rachel's eyes he saw that tears had gathered in them, and she bit her lip as she attempted to speak, "Eddie, I…"

He held his breath, suddenly terrified of what her next words would be, but then she broke into a smile, "Yes!" she was laughing, and crying, as she slipped from the sofa and threw her arms around him, "Yes of course I will Eddie!"

He held her tightly, pulling backwards just enough to allow him to kiss her passionately, before pulling away breathless, a huge smile on his face, "Are you sure? Because I know it's so soon and it's almost weird but it feels like we've been together much longer than that and I love you so much…"

She captured his lips again, silencing him, before pulling back with a roll of her eyes, "Stop rambling Eddie, of course I'm sure, I love you!"

He laughed ecstatically, hugging her again before pulling away, reached for her hand and slipping the ring on, making her eyes sparkle with tears once again as she admired it in the candle-light, "Oh Eddie… thank you."

He pulled her close again, kissing her softly on the forehead before turning to his left, smiling, "You can come out now."

Rachel looked confused, and then Philip appeared from behind one of the sofas, video camera in hand and a huge smile on his face as he crossed the room, "Congratulations!"

Rachel laughed, still grinning, "Thank you! But… why were you hiding?"

Eddie blushed, looking at the floor, "Yeah, that was my idea, I wanted some sort of keepsake if you said yes. Phil said he'd film it for me… sorry, it was probably really stupid…"

Rachel smiled, kissing him quickly to shut him up before pulling away again, very aware of her nephew's presence, "I think it was sweet." She wrapped one arm around his shoulders and the other around Phil's, glancing between them with a smile, "Look at us; a proper little family!"

Both men grinned, looking at each other and then at Rachel, echoing the sentiment, "A proper family."

The End