Will slammed the door to his apartment closed, ignoring his wife's frantic calls for him to come back. He gripped his keys firmly in his hand so hard that he could feel the grooves digging into his palm, not that he cared. He stormed down the hallway, his mind focused only on getting to his car.
A couple people in the hallway turned their heads in curiosity as a fuming Will raced down the hall. They were so used to seeing the happy, kind, and gentle Will Schuester it was shocking to see him so angry.
Will finally reached his car, shoving the key in the lock and almost growling in frustration when it wouldn't open. His hands were shaking as he fiddled with the key and finally heard the click of the door opening. He grabbed the handle and flung the door open, sending it flying backwards, almost off its hinges and hopped in the car and slammed the door closed. He pushed the key into the ignition and revved the engine.
Will closed his eyes tightly, gripped the steering wheel tightly and then rested his head against the steering wheel. He breathed deeply, in and out, in and out and he could feel his chest constricting painfully. It literally felt like his heart was breaking. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it, he couldn't wrap his mind around it. How could she do that to him? She was the woman he loved, the one he trusted, she was his wife, the woman he had been with for nearly half of his life.
All that planning, all the stress and all the love he had felt for his unborn child was for nothing. It was all a lie. His little girl that he imagined holding in his arms and singing to sleep was nothing but a figment of his imagination. No, a figment of her imagination. A sick and twisted figment of her imagination that was a horrible, horrible lie. His wife lied to him about their baby. A baby that never existed. A baby that she was going to take from one of his students and pass her off as his own.
Will bit hit lip and squeezed the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. He opened his eyes again and lifted his head slowly. He stared through his windshield to the gray wall of the parking garage. The same parking garage where he had sold his Blue Bomber 2 for an old mini van for their family. Their made up, fantasy, nothing but a lie, family.
Will thew the car into drive and stepped on the gas, sending it jerking forward. He needed to get out of there. He needed to get away from anything that would remind him of the daughter he wasn't going to have.
Will raced out of the parking garage and into the dimming light of the outside world. The sun was setting and it painted the sky a beautiful mix of orange and red. He normally enjoyed sunsets but for once he could care less.
He didn't know where he was going. Where was there to go? There was no way he was going to be able to go back to that apartment tonight. There was no way Will could face Terri now. Just thinking about her made his heart ache. Will didn't even know if he ever wanted to go back to her. He knew every time he'd see her he'd be reminded of his imaginary daughter and he couldn't handle that type of emotional pain. It was taking all his will power right now to not burst into tears.
Will drove past McKinley High School, slowing down just a little to consider his options. The parking lot was empty, the school was dark except for a few lights. He knew the night janitors would be there to let him in. He had done it before, come that late to work on something for glee club and they had no trouble letting him in. He could go to the choir room and spend his night there. He had no where else to go.
But as he pulled into the parking lot, his eye caught the familiar window that led to Emma's office. The room was dark and the blinds were partially closed yet he could still see inside. He stepped on the brake and gazed into the window, remembering the countless times he had been in that office asking Emma for advice.
Emma. Undoubtedly, over the last few months she had become his best friend. They had always been friends before he started glee club, they talked every so often and Will enjoyed her company. But it wasn't until she gave him that advice to stick with the glee club and stay at McKinley that he really started to get closer to her.
Will's chest clenched again as he thought about how he almost gave up his dream job, and the place and the people he loved for nothing but a lie. He wished he could get out of his car, go into the school, enter her office and Emma would be there offering her words of advice with her kind, round, brown eyes and sweet smile.
As his thoughts were suddenly consumed with his red haired friend he realized that he didn't want to stay at the school all alone. He needed her. Will needed Emma, to comfort him, to console him, even just to listen. Will knew that there was probably nothing, not even that Emma could say, to make this situation better. He just needed someone to be there for him and not just anyone. He needed Emma.
Will stepped on the gas again, swirled the car around so fast it left tire marks on the concrete and headed in the direction of Emma's condo. He had never been in it before but once when her car had broken down in the parking lot he offered to drive her home. That was quite a while ago but her address was burned into his brain.
Will was starting to grow very impatient as it seemed that he had hit every red light and stop sign there was in Lima. He normally didn't mind the red lights, they weren't that long but now it seemed that they took hours to turn to green and as soon as he could go again he hit another red light. He was half tempted to speed through the yellow lights to avoid the red but rethought it when he thought about getting a ticket....that was not something he could handle. So instead he gripped the steering wheel as tightly as he could waiting at the infuriating red lights.
Finally he arrived on the street that Emma's condo was located. He thought he might have had a little trouble finding her condo but he was drawn to it like a magnet. He knew exactly how far down the road it was and which one it was the moment he saw it, without even looking at the numbers.
Will screeched to a stop outside the condo and quickly got out of the car, slamming the door behind him. He jogged quickly up to the front door and knocked eagerly yet gently. He bounced on his heels as he waited for her to answer the door. A couple seconds went by, but it felt to him like a few minutes. He raised his hand to knock again when he heard the sound of the doorknob turning. He lowered his hand to his side and felt his heart racing at the anticipation of seeing her.
The door opened slowly and there she was. Her wide brown eyes were even wider in shock, apparently at seeing him there. She looked the same as she did when he saw her at school but somehow it seemed different now. Emma looked more comfortable, less tense, probably from being in her own home and not in a school infested with germs.
"Will?" Her sweet, yet confused voice sounded like heaven to his ears.
Will opened his mouth to say something but his brain would not work right. He ended up standing there with his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Then he finally got his thoughts together and shook his head. His voice was tense and shaky when he spoke, "Can I come in?"
Emma blinked in shock for a moment. "S-sure." She stuttered and stepped aside to let Will in.
Will slowly walked into Emma's home and looked around. It was clean. Spotless. Of course. What else could he expect from Emma?
He heard the door closing and then Emma appeared in front of him gazing up at him curiously. From the look on her face he knew she wanted to know why he was there. Just thinking about the reason why he was there made his heart ache and he felt tears sting his eyes and he looked away to hide it from Emma.
"Um..." Emma started quietly and Will kept his eyes away from her, making sure that all traces of his teary eyes were gone. "Can I um...do you uh..want something to drink?"
When he was sure that his eyes were back to normal, Will glanced back at her and nodded once. "Water." He said quietly. "Please." He added in a near whisper.
Emma nodded and motioned towards her living area. "Why don't you have a seat? I'll be right back."
Will nodded again and slowly made his way into the living area. It was small but very nice it had a couch, a chair, a small coffee table and a 25- inch TV. He took a seat on the couch and ran his hand through his curly hair, letting out a deep sigh.
Emma walked in about a minute later with a glass of water in her hands. She took a seat in the arm chair across from the couch, crossed her legs and extended her hands towards Will. "Here."
Will, without looking up, reached out and took the water from her. "Thank you." He responded, his voice quivering.
Even though his head was down, Emma did notice that a tear was rolling down his cheek. She froze. She had never seen Will cry nor did she ever expect or want to. But there he was, sitting in her living room, crying.
"Will?" She questioned again, her voice full of concern.
Will wrapped his hands tightly around the glass of water, clenched his jaw and bravely looked up at her. His eyes were filled with tears and her heart broke as she watched his gorgeous hazel eyes pool with tears and then the salty liquid spill over his eye lids and down his cheeks.
Will's mouth parted slightly and he inhaled as if he were about to say something. But then he paused and sat in silence and Emma could only watch helplessly as the man she loved suffered in front of her for reasons she had yet to discover.
"She lied to me." Will finally chocked out.
It should have been clear to Emma who Will was referring to, but it wasn't. So she had to ask, "Who?"
Will's body grew tense and he focused his gaze on his glass of water of which he still hadn't drunken out of. His eyes grew hard and he was gripping the glass so hard Emma thought he might break it. Will opened his mouth, closed it again, visibly swallowed a few times and then narrowed his eyes. "Terri."
Never, had Emma ever heard Will speak anyone's name, not even Sue Sylvester's with that much hostility. If Emma hadn't known any better she would have assumed that Terri was his worst enemy and not his wife. Over time, Will had come to her with complaints he had about Terri but even though he could sometimes get annoyed with her, Emma could hear it in his voice that he loved her. However, now Will spoke her name like he hated her.
Also, she wondered what the lie could have been about to get Will so upset. She knew husbands and wives lied to each other sometimes, everyone lies to each other sometimes, she has even lied (mostly about her feelings for Will). And of course being lied to is upsetting but how bad could it have been if Will left his apartment and is now in her condo crying.
"A-A-About what?" Emma asked gently.
Will let out a long shuddering breath. "The baby." He whispered so his voice wouldn't crack with emotion.
Emma felt her breath catch in her chest. Terri lied about the baby? What about the baby? What lie could Terri tell about the baby that would be so cruel to have Will reduced to tears?
To answer her unasked question Will went on, "She's not pregnant."
Emma's eyebrows shot up. Terri wasn't pregnant? But... "How could that be? I..I mean I saw her...she had..."
"I know." Will cut her off and looked back up at her. The tears had stopped falling but his eyes were red and she could still see the unshed tears glistening. "It was a pregnancy pad."
Emma's jaw dropped slightly. Terri wasn't pregnant. Terri faked her pregnancy. Terri lied to Will. Now she disliked the woman even more. How could anyone be so cruel? Especially to sweet, kind and caring Will? How could she hurt someone that she supposedly loved?
"All this time." Will continued shaking his head. "I thought..." He snapped his jaw shut and swallowed again. The tears started falling again.
For once in her life Emma had no advice to give. She wanted to say something, anything to Will to make it better. She hated to see him in so much pain. But there was nothing she could say.
Will placed the glass of water down on the coffee table in front of him and then buried his face in his hands. Emma glanced at the glass of water on the table and used every ounce of restraint not to reach out and put a coaster under the condensating glass.
In fact, she was so close to getting a coaster out until she heard one of the worst sounds in the world. Will crying. She saw his tears and where that was heart breaking nothing compared to the sound of his quiet, yet pain filled sobs.
Emma completely forgot about the coaster and without thinking twice got up and walked over to sit next to him on the couch. She reached out and gently rested her hand on his shoulder. "Oh Will..."
Will responded to her touch by turning his body to face her and leaning his head against her shoulder. Her eyes widened at the human contact but then relaxed after a moment realizing that it was just Will and he needed her.
Emma hesitantly wrapped her arms around him and tried to ignore the inappropriate butterflies in her stomach when Will's arms slipped around her and then gripped the back of her shirt tightly. She could feel his tears soaking the material on her shoulder and was surprised it didn't bother her at all.
Emma tightened her arms around him and started to rub his back. As she did so Will's shoulders started to heave slightly and she could still hear his muffled sobs. Her eyes closed tightly and she willed for Will to stop crying. She couldn't stand it. She wanted to go over to that apartment and give Terri a piece of her mind. Will did not deserve to be hurt as bad as he is. Emma rarely ever got angry but she right then she was furious with Will's wife. The only thing holding her back was the fact that Terri did scare her...alot.
So instead she kept her anger inside and remained comforting Will.
Once Will was in Emma's arms he let himself go. All the emotions that were bottled up since the fight with Terri finally were released. Will rarely ever cried, he rarely got upset enough to cry. And when he did cry he didn't particularly like people to see him crying. He didn't want to cry in front of Emma either. He didn't want Emma to see him in his worst state. But the moment she came over to him, placed her hand on his shoulder, and whispered his name he couldn't hold it back anymore.
Will felt comfortable in Emma's arms. He felt that he could show his true feelings in front of her. He knew her well enough and trusted her. He knew he just had to cry to get it all out. He had never been as hurt in his entire life. Even if he wanted to forget he couldn't, his thoughts always returned to the lie and that only made him continue to cry. He felt bad that he was using Emma as his crying shoulder but then she tightened her arms around him and he knew she was going to be there for him.
After about ten minutes he managed to calm down. His sobs had subsided and his cheeks along with Emma's shirt was soaked. Even though he had finished crying he did not want to move from the comfort of Emma's arms. He made that known by clinging to her shirt tightly.
Will had moved his head to rest on her chest right above her heart. He felt his tense body relaxing as he listened to the steady yet slightly quickened beating of her heart and felt the gentle motion of her chest rising and falling.
His eyes fluttered closed, crying so much had tired him out, and he let out a little sigh. The sound of her heart beat, the gentle rhythm of her breathing plus her fingers gently trailing along his arms was starting to put him to sleep.
"Will?" Emma questioned quietly.
"Hm?" He responded tiredly, his eyes remaining closed.
"Are...are you alright?"
Will slowly opened his eyes and then lifted his head to meet her eyes. In her eyes he could see curiosity, concern and something else he couldn't quite name.
Was he alright? That was a loaded question. If it was anyone else but Emma he probably would have snapped something sarcastic at them for asking such a dumb question. He just learned his wife had been faking a pregnancy for months, he should not be alright. But somehow....maybe it was because he was with Emma...he was.
"I am now." He replied staring deeply into her eyes. A blush colored her cheeks pink and she looked away shyly, biting her lip.
"Thank you." He said and her attention was brought back to him. He let out a breath, shaking his head. He looked like he was just put through hell and back. His eyes were red and puffy, his cheeks were tear stained and he looked exhausted. "You don't know how much I...how much I needed that." And with a little hesitance he added, "...needed you."
Her wide eyes stayed focused on him, cursing the butterflies that once again danced in her stomach. Then with a light blush she said, "I'd do anything for you Will."
A very small, hardly noticeable smile tugged at his lips in thanks. He really was grateful for Emma. He wouldn't know how to get through this without her. He was still beyond hurt of course and he would be for a long time but it wouldn't be unbearable as long as he had Emma to comfort him. He wished he could stay rested on her. He never felt more comfortable, more safe...even hugging Terri hadn't felt as right as being in Emma's arms. That might have been because just the thought of Terri at the moment made him either want to cry or punch something and Emma was the one who was there for him. Emma was the one who was always there for him in every situation. Terri had tried to discourage him from doing Glee, Terri tried to get him to quit his dream job, Terri didn't want to go with him on the field trip to see Vocal Adrenaline, Terri didn't approve of him joining Acafella's. Emma went out of her way to find an old tape of him performing in his glee club, Emma gave him a speech about what was most important in life, Emma tried and succeeded in getting him to stay in his dream job, Emma was the first and only one that signed up to go accompany him on the field trip, Emma was sitting front row at every Acafella's performance and when he had lost hope that Acafella's was done after Howard and Enrie quit she was the one who convinced him otherwise. Emma was constantly building him up while Terri was constantly bringing him down. Whenever he was annoyed with Terri he just had to be in the presence of Emma and he'd be immediately cheered up.
And now that Terri had brought him down so low, he needed Emma now more than ever. So far she had done a great job just by hugging him while he got everything out. He had almost forgotten about what Terri had done. But one thing still worried him..
"Can I ask you a favor?" Will asked her cautiously.
"Of course." Emma replied.
"Can I....would you mind if...do you think I could..." He sighed heavily as he struggled over the words to get the question right as Emma watched him curiously. "I can't go back there tonight."
Emma caught onto what he was implying and she nodded. "You can stay here Will." Her heart leaped at just the thought of Will sleeping in the same area as her.
Relief spread across Will's face and his body visibly relaxed. "Thank you Emma. Really, I can't say how much this means to me."
Emma locked eyes with him giving him a small, sad smile. "It's no trouble Will. After all you've been through tonight you deserve a good night."
Will let out another sigh and nodded quietly. He didn't want to think about the terrible evening he'd had.
"You look exhausted Will, do you want me to show you where the bed is?" Emma asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.
Will looked at her in surprise. "That's okay Em...I'll sleep on the couch."
She furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side. "The couch is so uncomfortable Will and its small. You should sleep in a bed."
Will shook his head. "I don't want take your bed."
Emma stared at him wide eyed for a second and then shook her head furiously raising up her hands. "Oh no..no..no not my bed." She chuckled sheepishly. "I have a guest bedroom...I don't use it really...because I usually don't have guests."
Will's face turned a light pink and he looked away sheepishly. Boy was that embarrassing. How could he think he was going to sleep in her bed? And why did his heart rate just spike when he thought about sleeping in her bed? And why did he picture her with him...?
He closed his eyes and shook his head furiously. How could he think like that? Emma was his friend, his best friend, but nothing more. Will opened his eyes and glanced at her.
Emma was staring back at him a curious innocent look in her eyes. She looked beautiful in the dim light of the room and he felt an uncomfortable twisting it the pit of his stomach, one of the usual feelings he got whenever he was around her.
What was wrong with him? He'd just had a huge fight with his wife, his wife had broken his heart and yet he was sitting there mulling over his feelings for Emma.
His feelings for Emma. Had he just admitted it to himself? Yes. He had. He had feelings for Emma. Over friendly feelings for Emma. He knew they were wrong, he was married after all. Married to a woman who lied to him about their baby. He thought back to what he said to her in the fight.
"I loved you Terri." Loved. Past tense. At the moment he couldn't love her. Maybe he could never lover her again. Maybe the love had moved on. Moved onto a germaphobic red head who was the most honest, trustworthy and wonderful person he knew.
Oh boy was he in deep.
"Oh." He finally said. "Yeah..that'd be great."
Emma gave him a small smile and his stomach did the flip flop thing again. She stood up and he followed suit. Emma then turned and started to walk out of the room and Will followed her. They walked a little bit ways down the hall until they came to a door on the right side of the hallway. Emma opened the door and moved inside, Will following her.
The room was small, it had a twin sized bed a few pieces of wood furniture and a small closet. To Will, it looked like heaven.
"The bathroom is right next door if you need it." Emma spoke up and Will turned to look at her.
"Thanks."
She nodded to him and turned to leave the room to give him some privacy when his hand shot out and took hold of hers. Emma paused and turned to him with wide, questioning eyes. He didn't know exactly what he was doing he just didn't like the fact that Emma was leaving him alone.
"Uh..." He blushed at the question he was about to ask. "Do you think you could maybe stay with me for a little while?"
Emma stared up at him wide eyed, shock evident on her face. Then her face turned as red as her hair and she nodded slightly. "S-sure. Of course."
Will gave her a small grateful smile. "I just have to use the bathroom quickly."
Emma nodded and motioned for him to go ahead and Will disappeared out of the room. Once he was gone Emma placed a hand over her wildly beating heart. Not only was Will going to sleep in her condo but he wanted her to stay with him. This was like something out of her dreams. Only in her dreams Will didn't usually come to her door step in tears.
While Will was in the bathroom she walked down the hall to her bedroom and changed into a more comfortable outfit. She put on a pair of pajama pants and a matching shirt. She normally didn't like wearing pants but she was not going to wear one of her nightgowns in front of Will.
After she was done changing she headed back to the guest bedroom to find Will was still in the bathroom. So she pulled the chair that was in the corner of the room next to the bed and sat herself down.
Emma turned her head towards the door when she heard footsteps down the hall. Will appeared in the doorway looking slightly better than he had before. The tear stains were gone from his cheeks, his eyes were back to normal but he still look exhausted. And he was still in his clothes. She felt bad and slightly disgusted that Will didn't have anything to change into and that he had to sleep in his clothes. Emma wished she had something to offer him but she owned nothing that resembled male clothing or that would fit him.
Suddenly she was aware that Will had not moved and was staring at her with an expression she had seen on him more lately and only around her. An expression that made the butterflies in her stomach flutter, her heart soar and a blush rise to her cheeks. An expression that she had given him secretly for the last two and a half years.
Never breaking eye contact with her Will walked into the room and climbed onto the bed. He rested back against the head board and the pair just stared at each other in silence.
"Emma?" Will finally broke the silence.
"Yes Will?" Emma replied shyly.
"Do you think...if you don't mind..." He trailed off and glanced down at his lap, fiddling with his fingers.
"What?" Emma asked cocking her head to the side.
"Never mind." He said quickly still staring at his hands.
Emma furrowed her brow. "What is it Will?"
Will glanced up at her though keeping his head down. He let out a sigh and gave her a sheepish smile, "I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind..." He trailed off again and instead of speaking in words what he wanted to ask her he simply patted the bed beside him.
Emma's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. Oh God...Will wanted her to be in the same bed with him. Did he want her to sleep with him? Oh God...could she handle that?
Seeing her shocked expression Will was quick to elaborate. "Just for a little while...I don't want to be alone."
Emma's face softened. Will didn't want to make anything of it he was just hurting and he needed her to comfort him. She could do that.
Emma nodded and slowly got off the chair and climbed onto the bed, Will moving over so she could have some room. They caught each other's gaze and Will gave her a small smile. However, behind that smile she could see the suffering. His eyes said it all. The eyes are the windows to the soul, as they say. And if that was the case, Will's soul was tortured, beat down to the ground, stepped on and tortured some more. Because in his eyes she could see so much pain.
"You should try to go to sleep Will." Emma suggested. "You look exhausted."
Will nodded quietly in agreement, his eyes fluttering closed for a second and it looked like he had trouble opening them again. Then he slid under the covers, closed his eyes and rested his head on Emma's lap.
Emma froze and stared down at him, her hands hovering in the air from shock. Then slowly she lowered them down onto his back and at her touch he cuddled more into her legs.
She let out the breath she was holding in and slid her hands up his back and gently ran her fingers through his curly hair. Will hummed quietly in response to her actions and her heart rate spiked again.
"Goodnight Will." Emma whispered.
Will made no verbal response but instead moved his arm and rested his hand on top of hers. Emma felt a spark shot through her hand and warm her whole body as soon as Will's hand touched hers.
She remained still as stone for about ten minutes until she heard the deep, even breathing of Will, signaling he had fallen asleep. Emma knew she should probably leave and go back to her own bed but with Will sleeping on her lap, and still holding her hand, she wasn't sure she wanted to.