Applause filled the reception hall as Will kissed Emma on the cheek at the end of their first dance together as husband and wife. Mercedes had been amazing with her performance of "At Last", inspired by the 2009 Presidential inauguration ball, it was the perfect way to sum up the journey that they had taken together and to say that after so long they had finally found the love they had been looking for in each other.
It had been a wonderful wedding ceremony. Both generations of the glee club with advice from Kurt had planned everything to the very last detail including song selection, and everyone was pleased by how well it turned out. Instead of the traditional wedding march at the end of the ceremony, the kids lined either side of the aisle and serenaded their teachers with the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love". The couple themselves chose the song for the first dance knowing Mercedes would knock it out of the park, and when Will asked the kids for ideas for a song he wanted to sing to Emma, it was Finn and Marley who came up with the perfect one, something they thought summed up their relationship perfectly.
"It was made for you two, Mr. Schue," Marley had said.
"And if it wasn't for your new wife encouraging you to keep teaching, glee club as we know it wouldn't have existed," Finn had added. "We wouldn't have found the courage to do 'Don't Stop Believing' if it wasn't for that." It was true, Emma had been the one to fight for the kids after they lost their first regionals and faced being disbanded, and she was the one who took them to sectionals when Will couldn't due to the mattress incident. She was much a part of New Directions' journey as Will was as its coach, and he couldn't wait to sing his feelings to her.
"Excuse me," Finn said as he stood in the center of the dance floor with a microphone in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other after a song by the girls wrapped up, "if I could have your attention, I would like to say a few words." As Will's best man, it was his duty to give the first toast just like he had done when his mother married Kurt's dad, and last year after nationals he had given an inspiring speech to the man who was like a father figure and mentor to him.
"I'm going to keep this short and sweet," he said as he faced Will and Emma, who were sitting together at the head table, Emma's hand in Will's. "Mr. Schue, when I first joined glee club, I came in thinking that it was going to be the lamest experience on earth. But you never made it that way. You motivated us, you never gave up on us, you even put yourself on the line for us. I remember when you first saw the original six perform 'Don't Stop Believing,' you said to us: 'It would kill me to see you win nationals without me.' Well, with you leading the way and going through every obstacle over the last three years, we did the impossible when nobody else gave us a chance. And to see you married to the one other person who stood by us all this time makes us even prouder because we were rooting for both of you all along." He then looked at Emma.
"Miss Pillsbury, or should I say, Mrs. Schue," he went on, "I think that the best thing that ever happened to you was when Mr. Schue ran after you down the hallway after we won our very first sectionals competition. You have been our number one fan from the very start, and you were always there when we needed advice. I think we can all agree that Mr. Schue is a very lucky person to have someone as sweet, caring and amazing as you."
"Preach!" exclaimed Unique from the other side of the room where the other glee kids were sitting, Joe and Artie raising their hands in agreement. Finn raised his glass in the air with a smile.
"To Will and Emma," he said, "not just our teachers, but our friends. I wish you a wonderful life together."
"Hear hear!" the rest of the guests chimed in, raising their own glasses to the new couple. The glee kids applauded in agreement.
"And now," Finn said, "I do believe that the groom has a few words to say."
Will stood up and took Emma's hand, and the two of them walked across the room to the dance floor where he took the microphone from Finn and patted him on the back, thanking him for a great speech. He looked at his new wife with pride, his eyes shining, as he gathered up all his courage in what he was about to say.
"Emma," he said, "when we first met, you were placing your nameplate on the plaque by the door of your office as I welcomed you to McKinley. But when I took over glee club, we forged a friendship that even now as we are married would stand the test of time. Even through the rough times, we worked through it, and even when we were with other people, I'm sure that there wasn't a day when we were both thinking about each other. You are our number one fan as Finn had just said, our biggest cheerleader and supporter, and just as we were down our first year, you had the courage to go to Figgins and fight for us despite that I was resigned to the fact that it was indeed the end of the road for me and New Directions. I'm going to let you in on a little secret, something that I've never told anyone before. When I chose the song 'Valerie' for our second sectionals, I was thinking of you." Emma looked at Will in surprise, she had seen the tape of the kids from that performance and it had hit her instantly:
And I miss your ginger hair…
"Oh Will!" she exclaimed.
"In glee club as you already have guessed," he went on, "we often use songs to convey our feelings to each other, and I'd like to do that for you now. Think of it as an extra wedding present." Still holding on to the microphone, he walked up to the stage where the band was already there, sat down at the piano that had been put there and put the microphone on the stand , adjusting it slightly.
"Emma, my beautiful Emma," he said, "this is for you." The hall fell silent as he began to play, and then a moment later he began to sing.
Lying beside you
Here in the dark
Feeling your heartbeat with mine
Softly you whisper
You're so sincere
How could our love be so blind
He thought of the journey they had taken as he sang, a journey of ups and downs that eventually led the two of them back to each other.
We sailed on together
We drifted apart
And here you are
By my side
So now I come to you
With open arms
Nothing to hide
Believe what I say
So here I am
With open arms
Hoping you'll see
What your love means to me
Open arms
As Emma stood on the dance floor listening to Will sing, thoughts of her own began to fill her mind. When he took the gum off her shoe, the chalk dust in the science classroom, all the things that had been part of their story up to now. Tears began to fill her eyes.
Living without you
Living alone
This empty house seems so cold
Wanting to hold you
Wanting you near
How much I wanted you home
But now that you've come back
Turned night into day
I need you to stay
So now I come to you
With open arms
Nothing to hide
Believe what I say
So here I am
With open arms
Hoping you'll see
What your love means to me
Open arms…
As the last notes of the music died and thunderous applause filled the hall, Will rushed off the stage and onto the dance floor, where he pulled Emma into a long, emotional embrace.
"Thank you," Emma said, "for everything."
"I love you, Emma," Will replied, "forever and for always."