A/N: Hi there...so this is my first foray into fanfiction. I've been a huge fan of reading it for a while and thought I'd give it a try. I know the Will/Rachel community is pretty small, but I'm a follower and really love some of the extremely high quality stuff out there. I'd be interested in any feedback you may have.
Just one or two little things for this story: I've entitled the story "Journey" but it has nothing to do with the Journey songs New Directions does so well, or the importance they play in the series, but more of a metaphorical journey the characters take - I've heard somewhere that metaphors are important :) ; also, the story begins just after 'Comeback', so everything up to that point has happened, but veers into AU from there.
Hope to hear your thoughts!
Chapter 1:
Freshly scrubbed from a quick, post-slushie change, Rachel Berry made her way through the school corridor to Glee. Classes were over for the week and the group was having one last power session before going on spring break. Despite the slight sting in her eyes from the remnants of the cherry slushie (cherry always seemed to smart more than grape, or even blue raspberry), Rachel's good mood could not be diminished. She had plans for a rigorous week of training vocally and physically ahead of her without the annoyance of classes to get in her way. Mr. Schue had even consented to a mid-week strategy session for the upcoming Regionals. They were going to hammer out a number of options for set-lists, with the corresponding solos for various Glee members, so that upon return from the break, the group could select a list that they thought represented them best.
Rachel of course already had very strong opinions concerning their options, and knew where she would be utilized best in any given arrangement, but knew that Mr. Schuester would demand that other members also be featured through the performance. Though this would not be Rachel's first choice, she reluctantly had to concede that Vocal Adrenaline's largest failing last year had been their reliance on their one soloist, regardless of his talent (and Jesse was very talented, despite whatever personal feelings she may have for him), leaving their performance not as textured vocally as it could have been. If their strategy would still be to favour one performer with a background chorus, then New Directions would go with a more balanced approach, showing the judges that their entire team was comprised of strong, talented voices. Rachel just had to make sure that she would receive the best and the largest number of solos.
With this in mind, she sailed into the Glee practice room, greeting the group, and settled into a seat next to Mercedes, far away from Finn. She may be focusing on her career now, as per the conversation between her, Mercedes and Kurt at their last sleepover, but that didn't mean it didn't still hurt to see Finn moving on, or rather back, to Quinn. She still cared for the large, uncoordinated boy. True, it wasn't a you-jump, I-jump, til death do us part, movie-love, but there were some true, caring feelings involved. It also didn't do her ego any favours to have him turn her down after she pursued him, hoping to have him forgive her for what she now viewed as the 'Puck-up' that happened in the wake of her learning about Finn and Santana's history.
The arrival of Will Schuester interrupted her private musings as they began their vocal warm-ups.
At the end of practice, Rachel approached her Glee coach as the rest of the group shuffled out.
"Mr. Schue? I was wondering if you had a moment to give me some feedback on the songs we'll be looking over this Tuesday. I have some ideas already, but would like to narrow the field a little so that we can be as productive as possible during our meeting."
Will chuckled at the ever-enthusiastic brunette in front of him.
"Of course Rachel, why don't you show me what you have so far and see if we can eliminate some from the running right off the bat?" Will had learned that sometimes the easiest way to deal with Rachel was to humour her. Five minutes of his time now would mean a much smoother meeting on Tuesday, and things had been going well between them lately. He had no desire to rock the boat when all that was asked of him was a simple moment of his time. Besides, her enthusiasm was a little refreshing. His Spanish students certainly didn't display any level of excitement, so when a student expressed an avid interest in a subject in which he was involved, it was fun to allow himself to get swept up in the fervour.
"Excellent!" Rachel beamed. Without wasting a moment she unzipped her pink folder, decorated with gold stars and treble clefs, and produced the sheet music for at least ten different songs, all of which had accompanying notes that Rachel had made to justify their inclusion.
"Now, I've sorted the songs into three groups..."
Fifteen minutes later, Rachel and Will had eliminated four of the songs, agreeing that the others deserved further consideration, and would be tested with different arrangements to complement the voices of the group. They would continue work with these during their scheduled meeting on Tuesday, but in the meantime, could begin thinking of how the various songs might work. As they packed up, the conversation between the two flowed easily.
"I've always had a preference for any original cast for a play." Will admitted.
"Well it's not really a wonder" Rachel replied. "The original cast creates the roles by which we associate the characters from the start. Everything afterwards becomes a comparison. There may be outstanding individual portrayals that come after the fact, but that first ensemble still stands as the director's vision of what the production should be."
"So then what happens if the cast is poorly selected, or can't deliver on the merits of the script?" Will challenged.
"Well in that case, the play probably doesn't go anywhere, so we never hear of it and don't get the opportunity to see reprisals, or a new cast in the roles" Rachel responded.
"Fair enough" Will conceded, never really disagreeing with her to being with, but enjoying the discourse all the same. It was nice to be able to speak with someone as knowledgeable as himself on the various aspects of theatre.
"So what would be your dream role?" Rachel asked. "If given the chance to do any part in any play on Broadway tomorrow, what would you choose?"
"Tony from West Side Story" was the immediate reply. Will blushed a little at how quickly he had responded. There could be no doubt now that he had thought of this scenario before, and felt somewhat exposed at this revelation.
Rachel nodded approvingly.
"You'd be a great Tony" she assured him. "An interesting choice all the same."
"How so?"
"I suppose I can see the fit though" she didn't answer him, but continued to muse.
"What fit?"
Rachel smiled in her response.
"The romantic" she stated. "Tony is a modern day Romeo, one of the most romantic Shakespeare characters written. You, Mr. Schue, are a true romantic at heart. You like grand gestures, but take pleasure in the little things, and you have a ceaseless optimism than can only come from someone who believes that love can, and will, triumph in the end."
"I am not" came Will's defiant response. "I'm much more of a realist!"
"Really, Mr. Schue, it's not a bad thing at all!" Rachel grinned. "But just look at your decisions on a day-to-day basis. You try to ensure everyone feels special in glee, despite the fact that not everyone is equally gifted and thus deserving of solos, which could put our chances of winning competitions in jeopardy. You love musical theatre; a sure sign right there. And you have, within plain sight of faculty and students alike, made several grand gestures in an endless attempt to win over Ms. Pillsbury's heart. You are clearly a true romantic at heart, despite what you may think."
Will was suddenly having difficulty meeting Rachel's gaze. Having his failed attempts at winning over Emma brought so vividly out into the open in casual conversation was humiliating.
Rachel immediately recognized her mistake and tried to backtrack.
"Oh! I'm sorry Mr. Schue! I didn't mean-"
"No, no, it's okay Rachel." Will tried to put on a smile and gloss over the discomfort of the moment. "I guess I could be considered a romantic after all. Who knew?"
"I'm really sorry Mr. Schue" Rachel blundered. "It's not like I'm any better! I mean, I'm still chasing after the school quarterback who clearly no longer wants anything to do with me, so it's not like I can talk-"
"Rachel" Will soothed. "It's okay. You really didn't say anything that wasn't true."
Rachel nodded and the two returned to packing up their possessions in silence.
"So..." Will began tentatively, "how are you doing? About the whole Finn thing, I mean."
It was Rachel's turn to be surprised.
"Never mind." Will hurriedly said. "You don't have to tell me anything. I just thought you might need someone to talk to."
"Thanks." Rachel whispered, looking away, then continued on, quietly. "It's funny though, I've been thinking a lot about it the past few weeks, and I don't think I was ever in love with Finn, but more with the idea of him and what he represented." She admitted. "Don't get me wrong, I cared for him, and I still do. He's a really great guy...but we never did really 'click'. We're too different, have vastly differing preferences in hobbies, interests, and pass-times, and he never really did understand me and my drive to become a star."
Quiet was the response from across the piano.
"Anyway, thanks for spending the time with me today Mr. Schue." Rachel said quickly as she made her way towards the door, her schoolbag over her shoulder. She couldn't believe she had just spoken so openly to her teacher about her feelings and past romantic relationship.
"I get it." Will's voice stopped her. "I think it was my wish for a greater purpose for my divorce, and a great romantic ending, that pushed me to continue to pursue Emma even after we realized it wasn't going to work."
Rachel looked at him gratefully, knowing that he offered her this bit of personal information to make her feel less uncomfortable.
Smiling shyly, still not entirely at ease with all that she had admitted, Rachel offered "Maybe we have more in common than either of us thought" before exiting the chorus room, leaving behind a bemused Will Schuester.