A severely unedited first chapter of what I hope will be many. I have a teensy obsession with Will/Rachel, and I've been itching to write something for weeks, so here it is! Obviously, I don't own Glee. (I wish.)


He just had a bit of a thing about her. It was a quiet crush – she just crossed his mind once in a while, that's all. She slipped into his daydreams occasionally. That was it. It wasn't wrong, he wasn't being perverted about it – it was just a subconscious… thing, and something he had to deal with.

It was probably normal, after a divorce, to develop innocent crushes on those closest to you.

And, boy, was Rachel Berry close to Will Schuester.

They had one fundamental factor of each of their lives which kept them closer than they should be, and that was Glee Club. It was especially important now, after her disastrous relationship with Finn and his divorce. It became their distraction – if they were busy composing set lists and choreographing numbers they didn't have time to stop and think about how hurt they both were.

Of course, this was all speculation on Will's part. Rachel was probably fine by now.

Teenagers had a gift for bouncing back quickly. She was probably only upset for a week or so.

The other Glee clubbers hated the special treatment Will gave Rachel, and most of them didn't bother hiding it. "She's totally your favourite," Santana protested one rehearsal. "I mean, seriously, her voice is great, we get it. But you need some serious sex appeal to be a real frickin star. You need all of this," she swept her hands down her torso, "To get anywhere in the biz – and man-hands, in all seriousness, is really not a hottie."

Will's eyes flickered over to Rachel before he responded. He was astonished to see her eyes were fixed firmly on her knees, a curtain of brown hair hiding her face. The only giveaway that she was crying was her faint snuffle, and her hands wiping what were evidently tears from her cheeks.

Something inside him snapped. "Santana, go outside, immediately!" he roared. "I will not have bullying like that in my classroom - that was totally unacceptable!"

Shocked at his outburst, Santana didn't seem to be able to form a coherent response. "I – what? You - I - are you kidding me?"

Will raised his eyebrows at her, before saying quietly. "Step outside, now, please, or I will involve Principal Figgins in this."

Will gulped as he waited for Santana's next move. He had overreacted to her comment, and he knew it, but seeing Rachel so sad and hurt had made him unbelievably angry. She meant a whole lot to him, and to see her shot down like that – especially by someone as cruel as Santana – had got to him in a big way.

"You know what," Santana spat, throwing her satchel over her shoulder with such force Will was surprised she didn't hurt her back, "Screw this, screw you, and screw this damn club. Give your solos to whoever the hell you want, Schuester, I don't give a rat's ass."

She stormed out of the room, slamming the door with all the strength she had. The room was deadly silent. Will cleared his throat. "I hope that you all realise that comments like that won't be tolerated," he said quietly, nervously. "Little things can make a large different to a person." He inwardly chastised himself - his excuses were lame, and he knew it.

Knowing none of the kids would be in the best of moods with him now, he decided to dismiss them early. "Um, let's call it a day, guys," he said. "I'll see you next rehearsal."

He turned swiftly to the piano as everyone disappeared, whispering about his outburst, and wondering whether Santana would agree to come back. He pretended to sort through papers until everyone had left.

Will collapsed onto the piano stool and lowered his head onto the keys, groaning. He was such an idiot.

"Um, Mr. Schuester –"

Will sat up quickly at the sound of the voice, his eyes wide and his brain a panicked mess. She had stayed behind.

She had stayed behind.

He got to his feet and turned around, trying to find a coherent thought. "Rachel – I – um. I didn't know you had stayed, I'm sorry."

She grinned sheepishly at him for a moment. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you." She glanced down at her feet. "I just wanted to thank you, for standing up for me like that. It was really… nice."

Will's heart skipped a beat. She'd picked up on his extreme reaction – shit. Was she reading into it, had she figured out he was thinking about her that way? Did she deem it inappropriate – oh, God, what if she went to Figgins? Or worse, Sue? She could make his life a living hell with that kind of dirt on him, get him fired, or worse…

"Mr. Schuester?" Rachel said meekly, interrupting his train of thought. She was staring earnestly at him, her wide eyes confused. Will let out a breath.

She didn't suspect anything.

"That's fine, Rachel, what are teachers for?" he smiled. "What are friends for?"

He briefly wondered if he had overstepped the mark in calling her a friend, but her expression lit up at his suggestion. Will dismissed his worry immediately.

"Not many people are willing to defend me," she whispered. "I don't really have any friends – any other friends, I mean. So that –" she paused awkwardly, "Well, it meant a lot to me."

On an impulse, Will reached out, putting his hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Don't mention it. You don't deserve that kind of treatment from anyone, especially not Santana."

Rachel bit her lip as she smiled in appreciation, and Will was blown away by how one girl could be so beautiful and sexy all at once. "Thanks."

"Do you need a ride?" asked Will hopefully, putting a wad of papers in his bag and swinging it over his shoulder. "I can drop you off if you like."

To his dismay, Rachel shook her head. "My Dad is outside. Thank you anyway, though."

Will still thought of her for the entirety of his drive home. They would have talked about musicals, he decided. They would have had to keep it relevant, after all. He'd casually mention he was thinking of putting together a routine for The Wizard and I, seeing as she did so well with Defying Gravity, and would she maybe like to sing it? Rachel would get all excited before thanking him profusely. "No problem, Rachel, you make a great Elphie," is what he would say. "Perfect, in fact."

Maybe she would blush, instead of accepting his compliment with her usual babbling agreement. Maybe she would thank him sweetly, earnestly, like she had done when he'd referred to her as a friend. Maybe she'd invite him in for a coffee to really show her appreciation, and hug him at the door as he left. Maybe she would peck him on the cheek. Maybe he would turn and capture her lips, and they'd kiss passionately on the doorstep before he came back inside…

"No!" Will chastised himself aloud, not allowing himself to go any further with his daydream. Things were getting so out of hand. She was sixteen years old! She was still a baby, a girl!

He parked his car in his usual spot, and forced himself to think of the freshman Spanish papers he still had to grade. If John Reid failed another test he would have to ring his parents, he reminded himself.

Will lasted through six papers before Rachel crept into his mind again.

Damn it, that was two worse than yesterday.