It was a chilly January morning in Lima Ohio. Chillier than Emma Pillsbury was used to. The wind whipped her scarf across her face and she pulled her red coat around herself tightly, picking up the speed of her already brisk walk. She didn't like the sight of her breath in front of her face; that was a sure sign that it was much too cold for her. She would rather enjoy the winter scenery from her living room window with a book in one hand and a steaming cup of tea in the other, maybe even by the fireplace.

She shivered a bit as she rounded a corner and spotted a small coffee shop ahead. Emma had absolutely no idea where she was. Lima was not big at all, but she had only been living there for four days. She didn't even know what brought her to Ohio in the first place. What was so special about Lima compared to Myrtle Beach?

It was actually the teaching position she got. Well, Emma wasn't a teacher, she was a guidance councilor. And a heck of a good one, so she was told. She didn't exactly socialize with her co. workers, so she wouldn't know.

Emma inhaled deeply upon entering the small shop, appreciating the scent of freshly ground coffee rather than the bitter, freezing cold. It was slightly crowded, which stressed her a bit, but at the moment, all she could ask for was the warmth that the decent sized group of bodies omitted.

Stepping into the line behind 5 other people, she was positioned just to the left of the entrance. She shook as the door swung open, clanging the bell overhead while a freezing gust of wind blew through the small space. Shooting a backwards glance, she watched as an average height, very attractive man entered, running his un-gloved hands through his curly hair. Facing forward, all Emma could think about was how cold she was, and tried to focus on the menu while the man stepped into the line, standing dangerously close to her back.

Each time the line moved up, Emma moved up. Each time Emma moved up, the man behind her moved up. She began to hyperventilate as his arm brushed the back of her coat. Breathe, Emma. Relax. You can wash it as SOON as you get back to the condo. And suddenly, it was her turn to order, and she had no CLUE what she wanted. Stuttering and shaking, Emma ordered a small cup of brewed tea with lemon, then stepped aside to let the man behind her order.

Until now, she had not noticed how gorgeous he was. She looked him over head to toe, taking in everything about him; his sandy blonde curls, the depth of his dark green eyes, crinkled by a smile that exposed a set of flawless teeth, and a dimple, right on his chin. He had a toned figure, muscular arms, and very large feet. She was mesmerized, staring doe eyed at him as she made her way back to the counter to pick up her order.

Picking up the cup and pulling a sanitized straw out of her purse, she turned to leave. She inserted the straw, then took a small sip with her head down. She had not realized that the man had been standing in line behind her yet again, waiting to pick up his double chocolate chip mocha. She came to an abrupt halt as two hands firmly gripped her shoulders. She gasped, slowly bringing her gaze to meet HIS. Oh, how grateful Emma was to be wearing a coat. If it had been skin to skin contact... She shivered at the thought, struggling to breathe. All she could smell was his pure minty breath.

Momentarily she got lost in his gaze, forgetting about his germs as she breathed in scent. There was the mint, but there was also a hint of aftershave. It was making her dizzy, and she was suddenly thankful that he was holding her; she may have blacked out.

"Woah, there!" He spoke, stopping her from barreling into him, then steadying her as she shifted some of her weight to him. She caught her balance, straightening up, never breaking eye contact with him.

"Sorry." She breathed so that it was barely audible. He grinned at her, and when she didn't look away, he held out his hand. Without a thought or care, she shook it.

"Will Schuester." He spoke in a nice, tenner voice. It just added to the dreamy effect of... him.

"Eh-Emma." She stammered.

"Emma." He said, turning her name over in his head. "That's beautiful." Emma blushed a bright shade of pink, looking down at her cherry red high-heels and fiddling with the hem of her matching coat using her free hand.

"Thank you!" She spoke, slightly embarrassed. That was the first time anyone had ever thought anything about Emma was beautiful. The self consciousness was foreign to her.

"Double chocolate chip mocha!" Called a deep voice.

"Well, I uh... yeah." Emma trailed off, gesturing towards the door. Will Schuester stepped around her, but still faced her. He smiled warmly.

"I'll see you around, Emma." He winked at her, causing her knees to wobble. She had never felt like this before. What was going on?

She nodded with a dopey grin on her face, turning on her heel and exiting the shop.

Walking back in the direction she came, she checked her watch. 11:03 a.m. on a Sunday; she decided to head over to McKinley High School. Her office was almost finished; she had been working on it for the past few days, since the kids were on winter break. It wasn't long, but on Wednesday, she spent all day fixing it up. The ceiling looked ok, so she decided not to waste time on that, but she replaced the desk, chairs, and bookshelves with her own clean ones. She also had the carpet vacuumed, shampooed, then vacuumed again before bringing the furniture in. Then, on Thursday she spent the entire day sanitizing every hard surface in the room. Friday, she rearranged the furniture and loaded the bookshelves with various books and her pamphlet stands, and Saturday she decided to print off a fresh set of pamphlets so she was ready for any situation a student could possibly come to her with.

Today, she would stock her desk with supplies and set up all of her pamphlets around het office. She was kind of nervous for Monday, but she knew that it was silly. Just a few first-day butterflies, that's all.

4:30 a.m. was the time Emma's alarm beeped on Monday morning. Immediatly, she got up and made the bed, using a small, handheld vacuum to suck up any hair that might have stuck to her pillow. By 4:45 she was in the shower, and by 5:15 she had her hair dried and curled to perfection.

In her pink furry bathrobe and matching slippers, she made her way to her kitchen, packing herself a lunch and grabbing the outfit she had washed the night before, then returning to her bathroom.

At 5:45, she slipped a pair of silver Mary Janes to match her outfit, grabbed her lunch box and purse, and headed out the door. She had become quite familiar with the 10 minute drive, and was seated comfortably at her desk at exactly 6:00 a.m.

Principle Figgans came by her office at 6:45 with a nameplate for her door. He spoke deeply with his thick, monotone Indian accent, "I'm sorry, Ms. Pillsbury, but I forgot to give this to you last week!" He slid the nameplate onto her desk, already having experienced her reaction to germs.

"Oh, thank you!" She exclaimed, popping up right away. She grabbed a disinfectant wipe and began wiping it down. "This is perfect!"

"I hope your first day goes well. Good luck with the children." And with that, principal Figgans was gone.

She made her way out the open office door to attatch her nameplate under the room number. She smiled, taking a step back to look at it when she heard footsteps. Turning to go back into her office, she froze and a small grin formed on her lips. Will Schuester was a teacher. As if he wasn't already sexy enough. Emma had never used that word to describe anything in her entire life, but... oh god, Will.

His eyes lit up as he approached, realizing who she was. "Hey Emma!" He called excitedly, very surprised to see her. "I had no clue that you were going to be our new guidance councilor! Welcome to McKinley, Miss..." He glanced around her at her nameplate, holding out his hand. "Pillsbury." It hadn't occurred to Emma until that moment that she had never given Will her last name. But just like in the coffee shop, her mind was getting all foggy. Maybe that was why she took his hand in hers, shaking it formally, as if he were the President.

"Well, I gotta get down to the office. I guess I really will 'see you around' from now on." He grinned and Emma weakly smiled back, then watched him head towards the front office.

She headed back into her office a bit dizzy, not bothering to sanitize her hands; they didn't feel dirty after contact with Will. She plopped into her chair and swooned. Later, she began the work a guidance councilor does in a high school and daydreamed about Will Schuester. She hadn't yet realized that she was in love.