A/N: Here's a early Christmas present for everyone! I started writing this before Mattress/Sectionals, and I thought it was about time I finished it. There's still so much of Emma and Will's relationship to explore before these two episodes, and I must say, as thrilled as I am that they can finally be together, I'm going to miss their cute little innocent interactions from Season one.
Oh, and thanks to BeAuTiFuLlIfE for the idea!
I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think!
For the life of her, Emma could not decide which dress to wear. She had spread her two final choices neatly out on her bed, contemplating her options.
The black one would be nice, she mused. It was a simple black dress that fell just above her knees. But, she thought, it will be just like what everyone else is wearing. And Emma had a strong desire to stand out.
"Emma Pillsbury," she told herself. "Do not make this decision based on what you feel Will will think…"
Despite her chastising, Emma still looked at the dresses with Will's opinion floating in the back of her mind.
I'll wear the red one, she decided suddenly, and not because it will make Will notice me. Besides, red is perfect for Christmas.
But as Emma pulled the chic red dress over her slender form, her reflection on the other end of the mirror grimaced at her.
Red with red hair was not her best look. She decided she looked somewhat like a stop sign, and the crimson blush that was beginning to creep to her cheeks at just the mere thought of Will seeing her like this was not helping.
She sighed as she looked regretfully at the black dress, now her only option. I look like I'm going to a funeral, not a festive party.
She put on the black dress nonetheless, and then began to search her perfectly organized closet for the perfect pair of shoes.
She had just found a simple pair of black heels to match her dress when she spotted a glimmer of green out of the corner of her eye.
Of course! she thought. And she hurried over to unearth the green dress that she hadn't worn in years. In fact, she had only ever worn the emerald green dress one other time in her life, for her brother's wedding, and she had never found another occasion to wear it again.
She held the dress in front of her, wondering if it would still fit. She slipped out of the black dress into the green one and took in her appearance in the mirror. The dark green dress fell just past her knees, and it had a bow tied neatly in the back.
She smoothed out the folds, and stepped into a pair of matching green heels. With a cream colored shawl, it would be perfect.
Emma smiled.
***
"Will! For the life of me, I cannot find anything to wear!" Terri pouted as she tried to squeeze yet another dress over her "baby bump."
Will sighed, tightening the tie on his neck as he entered the room. Terri quickly covered her stomach with one of the dresses on the bed.
"I don't see why you're always covering yourself up. I've seen you in much less than that, and I don't see how being pregnant changes that…" Will told her, and Terri laughed uncomfortably.
Will approached her, sliding his arms around her waist. Terri swatted at his arms, pulling the dress closer to her torso when he freed her.
"Terri," Will sighed, exasperated, looking at her with an endearing expression in his eyes.
Terri glanced down at her tummy, smoothing out the material of the dress over her stomach. She felt increasing guilty as her lie continued to grow.
Will only shrugged as he finished arranging his tie. "Why don't you wear that black dress you wore to my mother's house last week?"
"I don't want to wear the same dress twice," Terri whined, looking regretfully at the large pile dresses she would've been able to wear if she hadn't gotten herself into this whole pregnancy mess.
"But nobody will know that you wore it," Will protested. He would never understand women, especially his wife.
Terri only continued to pout as Will put in his cuff links. "We're leaving in twenty minutes, whether you have something to wear or not."
Terri let out a huff as she stomped into her closet and grudgingly put on the black dress.
Will sighed, leaving the bedroom and collapsing on the couch in the living room to wait for his wife. Faculty Christmas parties had never been up every high on his list, but upon talking to Emma and learning that she planned to attend the party, he found himself considerably more eager to go.
"Are you ready to go?" Will asked as Terri emerged from the bathroom about fifteen minutes later.
"As ready as I will be," she mumbled, glaring at him. She fumbled with her silver bracelet, unable to close the clasp.
"Let me help you with that," Will offered, chuckling lightly as he gently grabbed his wife's wrist and easily snapped the bracelet on.
After the bracelet was secured to her wrist, Will continued to hold Terri's hand in his own. "Do I have permission to touch you?" Will asked her, a smile edging his voice.
Terri gently pulled Will's arms around her torso so they rested on her stomach. She made sure not to move so her "baby bump" would not be jolted out of place.
"What a lucky man I am, holding my two girls. I wonder when she'll start moving…" Will mused, gently rubbing Terri's stomach.
Terri flinched uncomfortably as Will's hands brushed her belly. "Yeah, I wonder…Let's go before we're late!" Terri exclaimed, pulling herself free from his grasp.
Will nodded, suddenly remember the party—which consequently made him think of Emma. "Yeah, let's go…"
***
As soon as Emma pulled into the parking lot, she found Ken waiting for her. He looked ridiculous—his pants were too large and baggy while his jacket was too short in the sleeves.
"You know, it would've been easier if you had just let me pick you from your place," Ken complained.
"Yes, but this works fine as well. Besides, what if we want to leave at different times?" she told him, and Ken could think of no protest.
"Are you ready to head in?" he asked her, offering his arm.
Emma shut her eyes, trying not to hyperventilate. She carefully placed her hand—which was thankfully covered in an elbow length glove—onto the sleeve of Ken's coat as they began to walk toward the entrance of the school.
"You look beautiful tonight," Ken told her, smiling genuinely at Emma.
Emma's expression softened, and she loosened her tense arm slightly as she relaxed her clenched first and allowed it to rest on Ken's arm. "Thank you, Ken." She blushed, catching his gaze out of the corner of her eyes.
"I'm looking forward for tonight," Ken told her, grasping Emma's hand with his free hand.
Emma tried not to flinch under Ken's clutch, but she found it very hard to concentrate on anything other than the festering germs from Ken's unwashed hands.
But he was being so sincere and sweet, so Emma mustered up a reply. "Yes, I'm looking forward to it as well."
***
"Look at how ridiculous those two look," Terri smirked as Emma and Ken entered the gymnasium.
"Terri," Will warned her, his heart skipping a beat as his gaze fell on Emma. He watched as she tried to pry her hand away from Ken's arm, but his hand was clamped firmly on top of hers.
"But look at them!" Terri persisted. "He looks like a disproportionate buffoon, and she looks like an overgrown Christmas tree!"
"I think Emma looks quite nice," Will defended her before he stop the words from spilling out of his mouth. Terri shot him a heinous look.
"Honestly, William," Terri sighed, grabbing Will's chin and jerking his head away, "you have to stop fawning over that little minx."
Will blushed, but he managed to steal one last glance at Emma before Terri dragged him off to the refreshments table. Ken had left her side, and Emma was holding her gloved hand awkwardly out beside her, as if trying to think of some way to effectively disinfect it.
Will smiled, and Terri, mistaking Will's grin as a response to her endless babbling, said, "Isn't it funny? I'm glad you can appreciate it. Howard Bamboo just looked at me with this blank expression when I told him that story…"
Will was still hardly paying attention to Terri. "Yes, it was quite humorous, dear."
He absentmindedly sipped his eggnog as Terri continued to drone on.
***
Emma and Ken had been staring at each for approximately thirty nine minutes and forty three seconds. Emma was only counting because she happened to be facing the large clock on the opposite wall of the gymnasium. She was grateful that she at least had that for some form of entertainment to carry her through this endless evening.
"So…" Ken tried to start a conversation for about the hundredth time. As with all the previous attempts, it failed miserably.
Emma sighed as the clock struck nine, marking the fortieth minute.
"How about we dance?" Ken suddenly suggested, catching Emma off guard.
Only a few couples were dancing to the sappy Christmas music playing, Will and Terri included. A pregnant Terri waddled around quite pathetically while Will looked like he would much prefer to be elsewhere.
"I don't know," Emma mumbled, fiddling with her gloved fingers.
"Come on, Emma," Ken insisted, grabbing her hand before she could protest.
They had danced for a grand total of fifteen seconds before Emma could bear it no longer and abruptly pulled away.
"Emma!" Ken called as she disappeared around the corner to the locker room hallway. Ken caught Emma in the empty doorway. "Emma, I'm sorry…"
"No, Ken, don't be sorry. It's my fault…" she trailed off, unable to catch Ken's gaze as she stared at her gloved fingers.
"Look, M&M, we're under the mistletoe," Ken noticed, reaching out to take Emma's hands in his own.
Ken leant in, his fowl breath filling her nostrils. She had a strong urge to vomit.
"Ken, I can't," she stammered as she pulled away.
"Emma!" Ken exasperated. "We're getting married in a few weeks! Goddammit, why can't you just kiss me?!"
"Ken, I'm sorry," Emma whispered, continuing to stare at her hands. "It's just that—"
"You know what, Emma, it doesn't matter," Ken said with a huff as he stormed off, leaving Emma standing pathetically by herself. She sighed, burying her face in her hands as she tried to figure out what she was going to do.
"Emma," Will breathed heavily, glancing nervously behind his shoulder.
Emma jumped in surprise. She's hadn't seen him approach her.
"W-w-will," Emma stammered, trying to hide her tears. "I-I wasn't expecting—"
"What's wrong, Emma?" Will's voice was filled with concern, which only caused Emma to cry harder.
"I don't know," she sniffled, daring to catch Will's gaze. A pleasant warmth filled her as she looked into his eyes. "I just don't know what to do anymore."
Will took a step in, closing the gap between them. Carefully, he reached out to catch the tear that slid down her cheek, wiping it gently away.
Emma hardly dared to breathe, relishing the simple gesture. She could feel Will's warm breath on her lips. He leaned forward so that their foreheads were nearly touching.
"Will," Emma whispered. "Should we…"
"We are under the mistletoe," he reminded her. Emma's sweet breath clouded his mind.
Emma felt Will's hand slid under her chin. She closed her eyes as Will tilted her chin up toward his.
"Will? William Schuester! Where are?"
Terri.
Will and Emma abruptly broke apart, unable to catch each other's gazes.
"I'll just be...going now." Emma stared at her feet as she said the words. She could hear Terri's footsteps approaching them.
"Bye, Emma," Will whispered as he watched Emma disappear into the crowded gymnasium.
"There you are, Will!" Terri huffed as she ambled toward him.
He turned to her, forcing a smile. "Yep, here I am…"
"Will, I—" she stopped short as she caught a glimpse of green out of the corner of her eye. She looked up to see the delicate mistletoe hanging above their heads. "Oh, Will! How romantic!"
She smoothed out the collar of his shirt, aligning her body as close to his as she could manage with her rounded stomach.
Terri twisted her fingers through Will's curly hair, pressing her lips against Will's in a passionate kiss.
And for a brief moment, Will let himself imagine it was Emma he was holding in his arms.