Lex was watching Eddie and her mother out of the kitchen window, neither realising she could see them as they sat entwined, both laughing softly as they spoke in tones too soft for her to even pick up. She smiled, shaking her head slightly at how ridiculously in love the pair were as she dried the glass she'd been washing and placed it back in the cupboard, just as a knock sounded from the front door. A glance at the window told her that the noise hadn't disturbed the pair outside, and she hurried to answer before they knocked again.

The small smile on her face died instantly as she opened it. "What the hell do you want?"

Margaret Jennings pursed her lips together. "There's no need for that kind of language."

"I told your son the other day that none of you are welcome here," Lex glared at her. "What do you want?"

"To talk with you."

She scoffed. "You have nothing to say that I want to hear."

"Alexandra-,"

"My name is Lex. But you wouldn't know that, would you?"

The woman didn't quite manage to hide her frown. "I refuse to call my granddaughter by such a ridiculous moniker. Alexandra is a perfectly good name-,"

"You do not get to decide what to call me," Lex told her lowly, anger sparking inside her. "And I am not your granddaughter."

She sighed, a long-suffering expression on her face. "We can have that discussion another time," she said, ignoring the snort she received in return. "Now, I do realise that it must have been a shock to discover that you had an extended family through your father, and as a result of a school excursion as well. Though I can't for the life of me understand why you attend such a school…"

"My mother is the headteacher." Lex crossed her arms defensively.

Margaret hummed, looking unimpressed. "My son always did have a peculiar taste in those he chose to surround himself with."

"How would you know?" Lex challenged, irritated. "The last you saw him, he was sixteen." Anger flashed across the woman's face, but Lex continued, ignoring her. "And for your information, I didn't find out through a 'school excursion'," she mimicked. "I knew for months before that."

"I beg your pardon?"

She shrugged. "I found out while looking into more about my dad. Found you, your family, your little company. The fact that school organised a trip there was just bad luck."

"And you chose not to contact us?" she sounded incredulous, and Lex raised an eyebrow.

"How many different ways can I say that I don't want anything to do with you?" she questioned. "I'm not your family, I'm not your anything. You kicked my dad out when he was younger than I am now! You don't even acknowledge he ever existed. And you expect me to be willing to play happy families?"

"Your father-,"

"Was gay," she said flatly, and the woman reared back, almost flinching and Lex's stomach twisted in disgust. "He liked to screw guys instead of girls. Big effing deal."

For the first time, her father's mother looked uncertain. "But… you… how could…?"

Lex's jaw dropped. "Oh my God… that's why you're here. What, did you think he just magically became straight and fathered a child? How stupid are you?"

"I… I don't understand…"

"No, you don't." Lex pinned her with a cold glare. "It shouldn't matter if he was gay, straight, bi, or something else entirely. He was your son. He was brilliant, did you even know that? He was a wonderful father and a good friend and a genuinely nice person and you turned your back on him because you didn't like who he loved?"

"I-,"

"You don't get to talk right now," she cut in. "Because I'll tell you something; when I found out what you'd done, I was so angry. On dad's behalf. I hated you, and your family for what you did, for what you put him through. And you must have heard of the trouble I caused at your offices in an attempt at making you pay for what you did. But now… now I've realised something," she continued. "Your daughter is one of the nastiest human beings I've ever met. Verity Chambers was petrified of the both of you. When your other son was here, his main concern was your reaction to me saying no. Do you even see how wrong that is?"

The woman stared at her, and Lex suspected no one had spoken to her this way in a very long time… if ever. "For the longest time, I thought what you did was the worse thing a parent could do for a child. But now? Now I'm pretty sure it's the best thing that ever happened to my dad. Because the alternative would have been staying with you, and I think that's probably much worse."

"How dare you?" Margaret Jennings overcame her shock, fury overtaking her features as her cheeks grew red and her fists clenched. "Who do you think you are?"

"I'm his daughter," Lex said simply. "And I have every right to hate you. But I don't."

That seemed to bring all the anger and fury crashing down. "You… don't?"

"No," she shook her head. "Because to be so feared and hated, to have so much prejudice and loathing inside you… your life must be miserable. You must be miserable." Lex wasn't sure if the expression on the woman's face was shock, anger or some mixture of the two, but she continued anyway, finding the whole thing surprising cathartic. "So no," she continued, "I don't hate you, not anymore. I just pity you."

Her grandmother gaped at her, speechless, but Lex wasn't sure which emotion that was because of. Maybe all of them? Regardless, she was tired of this. "My previous statement stands," she said quietly. "I don't want anything to do with you, or your family. You're- frankly- not worth the time or energy it takes to be angry at you. Now please leave, and don't contact me again."

"I will not!"

Lex supposed it had been too much to hope she would simply abide by her wishes.

"It's perfectly clear to me that your mother cannot cope with raising a child alone. None of my children would dream of speaking to me like that! You need some strong discipline, and to be away from this house! I'm going to-,"

"Leave."

Lex jumped when she heard Eddie's voice from behind her, relief coursing through her. He placed his hand on her shoulder as he glared icily at the woman on the doorstep.

"And who might you be?"

"I'm the guy who's going to call the police if you don't get the hell away from my stepdaughter." His fingers tightened, not enough to hurt but enough that Lex could tell how angry he was.

"And that means stay away," her mother added from behind them, a hand coming to rest on Lex's back. She had to fight to keep her lips from twitching into a smile.

"Well, I never-!"

"Let me make something clear," Rachel continued. "Lex hasn't said a single thing that I don't agree with, or that her father wouldn't have agreed with if he were here. So you are going to leave, and you and your family are going to stay away from all of us. Or I may just let slip a few things I know about you to some friends in the police."

"Things you know?" she spluttered.

She hummed. "Such as… I don't know… a little operation in Northwich?" she cocked an eyebrow. Lex watched with glee as the woman's eyes bugged, her jaw dropping open and closed a few times.

"Fine," she ground out, and without another word, she turned on her heel and climbed into the brand new sportscar parked at the end of the drive, driving off without so much as glancing back. Eddie raised his eyebrows.

"Nice woman," he commented dryly. "What's in Northwich?"

Rachel laughed softly, closing the front door. "Oh, her company's operation isn't quite as squeaky clean as she makes out. I thought that information might come in handy one day." She hooked an arm around Lex, planting a kiss on the side of her head. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I am." She grinned at her, leaning in for a brief moment before pulling away. "Come on- you promised me a Disney night!"

"That I did," Rachel agreed, shooting a mildly apologetic look at Eddie. But he simply grinned, shrugging a shoulder.

"I vote for Robin Hood," he announced, scrambling after Lex. Rachel shook her head slightly- she should have known, she reflected in amusement.

"Pasta for dinner?" she called out, interrupting the good-natured squabble on whether Maid Marion counted as a Disney princess.

"With garlic bread?" came Lex's predictable request, which was immediately echoed enthusiastically by her fiancé.

She smiled, and hoped that they would never change. "Of course."

W.R.

A few weeks later, and life had passed as quietly as it ever did at Waterloo Road. But there had been no unexpected relatives, no personal disasters and the school was still standing, so Rachel was counting it as a win.

A knock on her bedroom door had her looking up- Lex peeked her head in, and grinned when she saw her awake. "Hi!" she bounded over, jumping on the bed next to her and Rachel had déjà vu to about a decade before, when it had been a six-year-old doing the exact thing.

"Good morning," she laughed, and snagged her around the shoulders to bring her into a cuddle. Lex wrinkled her nose, and wriggled slightly but allowed it, settling against her shoulder.

"You nervous?"

Rachel considered it for a moment, absently running a hand over her daughter's hair. "No," she decided. "More excited."

"Why do you look so serious then?"

"I was just thinking that three years ago, I would never have dreamed we'd have ended up here."

Lex smiled in amusement. "Three years ago, we'd never even heard of Waterloo Road."

"Well, maybe you hadn't."

She shifted to look up at her in surprise. "You had?"

Rachel hummed. "By reputation. Not a necessarily good one."

"That's what you get when you're at the bottom of the league table," she said dryly.

Her mother laughed lightly. "Well, reputation isn't everything. I should know."

Lex snorted in laughter. "Three years ago, you certainly couldn't have joked about that," she teased. Rachel pressed another kiss to her head.

"No…" she murmured, still smiling.

"Do you regret it?"

"What?"

"If we hadn't come to Waterloo Road, no one would ever have found out," Lex pointed out, rolling onto her stomach to prop herself up on her elbows, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at her. "It would still be a secret."

Rachel smiled slightly, reaching out to brush a lock of her from her face. "Yes," she agreed. "But I said something the other day, and I didn't realise how true it was until afterwards. Everything that has happened, has led me here. Even the bad stuff… all of it meant that I took the path that I did and I have ended up with such a wonderful life, with you and Eddie and Michael. So… no, I don't regret any of it. Because it led me here."

Lex lunged forward to hug her tightly. "I'm glad you bought us here," she mumbled into her neck.

She smiled. "Me too."

A loud knock from the front door below had them both looking around. "That'll be Mel," Rachel realised, grimacing slightly. "She's early."

"No, I think we're just late," Lex observed, glancing at the clock. "I'll go let her in." She scrambled off of the bed, but paused at the door. "Hey mum?"

"Yes?"

She grinned. "You're getting married today. Bet you never thought you'd be doing that, three years ago."

Rachel couldn't help but laugh. "Not really," she agreed. "Now go let your aunt in before she starts to panic."

Lex raced down the stairs, grabbing the key from the hook and unlocking the door in record time. "Hi Aunt Melissa!" she chirped, then blinked when she saw the second person on the doorstep. "And Miss Campbell," she added, stepping back to let them in, both with big bags, presumably with their outfits in.

"Hi Lex," the latter greeted. "I hope you don't mind, but Mel gave me a lift."

She shrugged. "Makes no difference to me," she stated cheerfully, just as the sound of water started from upstairs. "That'll be mum in the shower."

"Where's Eddie?" Melissa questioned.

"I think he stayed at Mr Clarkson's last night… or was it Mr Meade?" she paused, before shrugging and shutting the door. "Did you leave Phil behind?"

"He'll join us later. Didn't think he'd enjoy being stuck with the girls all morning," Mel let out a laugh. "How's your mum doing? Has she melted down yet?"

"Actually, she's quite calm. I've seen her worse over a parents' evening."

Miss Campbell started making breakfast for all of them, and it was only then Lex realised she was still in her pajamas in front of her teacher. She looked down at herself for a moment, before deciding that she didn't much care.

The doorbell rang, causing all three to frown. "Are you expecting anyone else?" Mel frowned.

Lex shook her head, jumping out of her seat to answer it. Melissa trailed behind her, just in cast, but she needn't have worried because as soon as she'd opened the door, Lex let out a loud squeal. "Auntie Rosie!"

"Hiya munchkin!"

Mel watched in confusion as Lex wrapped herself around the redhead on the doorstep; she knew she didn't have any other siblings, and she'd been under the impression Lex wanted nothing to do with her paternal relatives. Maybe this was someone related to Eddie? she wondered, but that didn't make sense either, because Lex shouldn't have been so close to her then.

"Look how grown up you are!" the woman was saying, holding Lex at arm's length to study her. "You look more like your parents every time I see you!"

"Well, it wouldn't be as jarring if you visited more often!" Lex teased her. She looked over her shoulder, spotted Melissa hovering awkwardly. "Have you two ever met before?"

"No sweets," she shook her head. "Who is this?"

"This is mum's sister, Melissa," she explained. "Mel, this is Rosie. She's mum's best friend."

"And this rugrat's godmother," she said cheerfully, hooking an arm around Lex's neck. "Nice to meet you, Melissa."

"Auntie Rosie, I thought you couldn't come?"

She grinned, winking. "Like I was going to miss Rachel getting married! I had to do some shuffling, and my boss is unimpressed but what's new there?"

They led her into the kitchen, where there was another round of introductions with Kim, who looked at the newcomer curiously. "Do you live local, then, Rosie?"

"Goodness no!" she laughed. "Canada."

"As in, North America?" Mel asked in surprise. She nodded.

"Moved there as soon as I could after uni. I don't get back much; I can't even remember the last time I visited."

Lex looked thoughtful. "We saw you the summer before we came to Rochdale, but that was when we visited you," she remembered. "The last time you were here… after I finished primary?" she guessed.

"Sounds about right," Rosie agreed with a nod. "And the time before that…"

"Dad's funeral," Lex finished.

"So not often then," Kim said, wide-eyed.

"Rosie?" the voice came from behind them, Rachel stood in the doorway with a stunned look on her face that quickly became a wide beam. "You came!"

"As if I wouldn't!" they hugged tightly, chattering excitedly, never letting go of each other. Lex watched her aunt carefully, saw the flash of jealousy on her face that was quickly hidden. Melissa seemed to shake herself slightly, then noticed her niece watching her and flashed a smile.

"You know what you're doing with your hair yet, love?"

Lex answered in the affirmative, still eyeing her warily but Mel didn't seem to notice, offering to come and help and that seemed to spark all of them into action, and the house became a flurry of activity as they traded ideas and skills- Rosie was better at makeup, while Kim was somewhat hopeless at any hair other than her own, and so there was a lot of switching around and ducking into rooms, but eventually everyone was dressed, with hair and makeup done. Lex was eyeing herself critically in the mirror, smoothing down the lines of her dress as Melissa came up to the doorway behind her. "You ready sweetie?"

She smiled and nodded, careful not to shake the curls in her hair too hard. "Is Mum done yet?"

"Not yet!" Mel vanished into the bathroom to check on Kim, and Lex took it upon herself to venture into her mother's room, knocking before slipping inside.

"Hey, did you need any- whoa..."

Her mother blushed, turning to face her properly. "Good whoa or bad whoa?"

"Good..." Lex murmured, still staring. "Definitely good."

She'd never seen her mother look so dressed up, with her hair curled and elegantly pinned up, more makeup than she usually wore and perhaps most importantly, the wedding dress that fit her perfectly. Lex had seen that before, of course, when she'd helped her pick it out but it was a whole different effect when paired with everything else.

Rachel smiled, and gestured for her to come closer. "You look so grown up," she commented quietly, studying her. Lex blinked.

"You look like that, and you're worrying about what I look like?" She asked incredulously. Her mother laughed.

"Mother's prerogative." She ran her fingers over Lex's hair, looking wistful. "What happened to that little girl who used to run around wearing fairy wings?"

"Okay, it's your wedding day! You're supposed to be getting emotional about that, not about me growing up!" Lex laughed, ducking away from her and shaking her head slightly. "Honestly."

She was surprised when a pair of arms wrapped around her, hugging tightly. She looked into the mirror to meet her mother's gaze, and allowed her amused exasperation to melt into a soft smile. "You nervous yet?"

"No," Rachel shook her head. "Think there's something wrong with me?" she joked.

"No," Lex echoed. "If I was marrying a guy like Eddie, I don't think I'd be nervous either."

Her mother laughed. Melissa chose that moment to enter, smiling at the sight of the two of them. "Aw, sweet," she commented. "Now get a move on before we're late."

Mother and daughter looked at each other, and simultaneously rolled their eyes. "You ready?" Lex asked quietly. She nodded, and smiled.

"I really am. Let's go."

The car ride was a blur, with some good-natured teasing from Melissa and a beam that never left Lex's face. Kim joked about the honeymoon, and Rachel had vague memories of telling her there wasn't going to be one, though she might have imagined that. (What she didn't know was that Lex had suggested that Melissa set up a staff collection in lieu of presents, and that she now had an envelope with enough in it to send the pair abroad for two weeks in summer, which they planned to hand over at the reception). And then they were arriving, Rosie, Mel and Kim vanished, with Lex waiting with her mother.

"This place is beautiful," she commented. Rachel smiled.

"Yes it is." That was why they'd chosen it. Small, intimate and stunning- perfect for them. They had less than twenty guests, and only a few of them were from school. Neither had wanted anything bigger- Rachel hated making a spectacle of herself (too many memories) and Eddie had done the big wedding and had no desire to do it again if his wife-to-be hadn't wanted it. They'd found this place online, almost disregarding it at first because quite frankly, planning anything outside in England, especially Rochdale was always a bit risky. But they'd visited it anyway, and Rachel was glad they had.

Lex dashed off with a quick "be right back!" and Rachel was standing alone, taking some deep breaths as she prepared to walk around the corner. It was Lex's job to come and fetch her, she knew, but couldn't resist peeking around anyway.

And felt her breath catch in her throat.

Lex was stood with Eddie, who was in a suit (and wasn't that something?) and had a smile on his face as he bent to murmur in her ear. Meanwhile, Michael was in front of them, bouncing excitedly and held in place only by Lex's hand in his.

She'd accepted that she would probably never have a family, at least nowhere near a conventional one. And then Lex had come along, and she had thought that that was as close as she would get, the discombobulated little unit she formed with that little baby and her father, the complete opposite of conventional but happy nonetheless. And now here she was, about to marry a man more perfect for her than she could ever have conjured up herself, with two wonderful children, and she wasn't entirely sure how she'd ended up here but she promised herself that she wouldn't ever stop being grateful for it.

Lex ran up, a smile on her face. "For you." She handed her a beautiful white orchid, with a note tied on with a ribbon. Rachel looked at her in confusion, but Lex simply kept grinning, motioning for her to tug on the ribbon and open the note.

Five minutes until we're married.

I love you.

She bit her lip, smiling as warmth pooled within her. "Thread this into my hair?" she asked Lex, and the girl acquiesced, careful not to disturb the style while Rachel folded up the note, tucked it away for safe keeping.

"You look beautiful," Lex murmured, eyeing her. Rachel hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, darling," she whispered. "I love you. And I'm so proud of you."

"Love you too." She drew back, smiled warmly as she glanced behind her. "It's time."

Rachel reached out, entwined their hands. "Let's go." They stepped out- Rachel's gaze skipped the small crowd and went straight to Eddie, a broad smile on his face as Michael held his hand. He looked like someone had slapped him when he caught sight of her, visibly swallowing before a grin grew over his face. She let out a quiet laugh at the expression, blushing slightly but never hesitated, walking forward with her daughter's hand in hers to where he waited for them.

finis

And we're done! Thank you so much to everyone who has read this- you're all wonderful! And a special thank you to those who have taken the time to review, you have no idea how much that means. x