A/N: Thought it'd be fun to flip this around to Will's POV so...
How Will Schuester Met Cinderella
A POV reversal sequel to How Emma Pillsbury Met Prince Charming
On days where his wife Terri wasn't working, Will Schuester would rise and make his way about getting ready for work while making sure of one very important thing: Stay quiet, don't disturb her sleep. Will loved his wife, but his wife did not love mornings. It wasn't so bad, he'd tell himself. He liked to live in the quiet of mornings, not yet met with the world.
Stepping out to his car on this first morning of his second year teaching at McKinley, he felt good. He loved his work, loved being among his students. He knew that, once upon a time, he would never have imagined himself a high school Spanish teacher. Even as he had gotten through those first weeks the previous year, he'd had doubts. But then weeks turned into months, a year had passed, and he'd realized he couldn't wait to be back.
In hindsight, he would realize he was missing, craving… something. The understanding of just what that was… that would be for later. But on that day, he would encounter one guiding hand to that end.
His good old blue car was starting to show signs that it was not so much 'good' anymore, just 'old.' But it still worked now, so he wouldn't worry. Once parked, he'd head toward the faculty lounge for coffee before moving to his classroom. As luck would have it, the lounge's coffee supply had yet to arrive. However, he knew Mary in the kitchen would already be hard at work and willing to accommodate him.
He was just finishing the cup when he realized he'd left a CD in his car. He wanted to play a song for his beginners, now and at the end of the year. So, books still in hand, he started back out toward the parking lot.
He was nearing the faculty lounge when a flurry of red hair caught his eye, along with the fact that the woman they belonged to was tripping. In a split second, his books hit the ground while he moved to secure the woman and her box before they joined his fallen books.
Not unlike her no doubt, his breath caught. He was finally able to breathe again once he confirmed he'd succeeded to hold her up. The shaking red-head wasn't recovered just yet, her eyes still shut tight. The expression on her face made him smirk, seeing how she slowly understood that she wasn't falling.
"You can open your eyes now," he tried to remain in control as the stranger and her box remained so precariously perched. After a moment the woman's eyes opened wide. He smiled. "Are you okay?" The woman didn't speak just yet. After a few seconds went by, she came to stand on her two feet once again, rebalancing the grip she had on her box. Will lowered his arms, though he remained at the ready, in the event her legs weren't as eased as she believed and she fell again. Seeing she seemed alright, he crouched to pick up his book, absently smoothing a folded corner.
"Spanish," the woman spoke her first word to him. As he stood again, he smirked.
"Sí," he affirmed. This made her laugh, and he was happy to find she'd relaxed. He held out his hand. "Will Schuester." The woman seemed to hesitate briefly but, finally…
"Emma… Pillsbury…" Immediately, he recalled the name, having read it off a memo. She must have wondered about the look on his face. "Yeah, like the brand. I'm the new guidance counsellor."
"No, yeah, I saw the notice," he explained. "Welcome," he smiled. Thinking, he pointed to the box. "May I?" she hesitated, but he was not one to give up. He believed in standing one's ground where it mattered, and this was no exception. "Come on, I'll show you to the counselling center, give your legs a chance to stop shaking." He'd said the magic words. Soon she handed over the box and he led her off toward her office. He could have asked her questions then, but before he could, he saw a quizzical look on Emma's face.
"Is it true about the previous counsellor?" He'd just been wondering whether she knew… and whether he should tell her if she didn't. Having her ask created a will for mystery, hush hush…
"Well it depends… What have you heard?" Seeing the conspiratorial look on her face, he felt an energy he would come to expect of their talks.
"He didn't…" she spoke slowly.
"He did… Oh, he did."
"I didn't think it was possible to…" she started, which produced images in Will's mind he would have preferred not seeing. But then they vanished, as Emma redirected. "Have you been here long?"
"Second year," he answered. "I wasn't sure at first, honestly." The spark of curiosity in her eye pushed him to go on. "I used to go here."
"Ah." She had slipped into a sort of counsellor mode without notice, which made him smile. "But…"
"But I'm glad I did," he answered the prompt. When they arrived, he stepped up, balancing the box so to use a free hand to open the door. "Here we are," he spoke as he stood back.
Watching her as she took in her surroundings, Will could see a checklist forming in her mind. Since she'd calmed from the near fall, he'd begun to see the fire in her slowly start to burn again. There was passion in her, for all she did. This was something he'd grow to know about her, and grow to appreciate for having his own deep burning inner fire.
He put the box down, squinting at the sunlight streaming in through the windows, the curtains having been left wide open. Finally he looked back up, finding her smiling.
"Well, I need to get ready before classes start. You should come by the lounge at lunch, tell me how your first half day went," he found himself offering. The smile it got out of her was perfect.
"Okay," she accepted. Pleased, he gave a quick wave and left the office. It took a moment for him to remember what he was doing before he'd met the red-headed wonder. Once he did, he headed to his car.
This was going to be a good day.
The End