Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 41st cycle. Now cycle 42!

INTRODUCING "CHEAT SHEET" - If you want to know ahead of time when a certain series will be updated next, just reassemble the link below and check out the list, save it, print it, bookmark it, whatever you need!
Go to: gleekathon [dot] tumblr [dot] com [slash] cheatsheet

** UPDATED WITH CYCLE 42 CHEAT SHEET **

Countdown cycle #4 - Yes, it's that time again, where I select 16 favorite things (characters, ships, friendships...) from Glee and give them each a ficlet, and a chapter fic for #1. The previous countdown cycles, if you want to check them out, were c10 [days 190-210], c25 [days 505-525], and c29 [days 589-609]. Like the last countdowns, the #1 story is split in 3 blocks, the chapters posted on Tuesdays and Wednesdays over these three weeks, with #16 to #2 from Thursdays to Mondays.
Coming in at #16...

"Not a Single Regret"
Emma/Will

Emma had come in to McKinley that morning with a box in hand and a mission in mind. She tracked down the janitor, told him to get his ladder and follow her.

She'd kept up with the kids' progress at Nationals via the competition website. She sat before her computer screen, muttering prayers under her breath as she waited for the list to be posted. They had to make it through, they just had to, they had to make it…

After refreshing the page so much, yielding no results, when the new link did appear, she almost crushed the mouse as she moved to click. She breathed deep, waiting, waiting… More names appeared as the page slowly loaded, and she'd read each of them as they came, banished them out of thought when she saw they weren't the one she was looking for. Only then it was one banished name after another, and another, and another, and… And then there were no more. "No… No, no…" she shook her head; there were no more names. Her hands fell back in her lap, defeated, and then her mind had filed her own feelings aside, instead going to the kids… and Will.

They would be coming back soon, not only without a win, but also without their teacher. Will was staying behind, for a run on Broadway with April Rhodes… a dream come true for him, whereas for her… She would be supportive, through and through, but it didn't mean she was happy that he'd be away. Summer was coming, they would see less of each other as it was, although… Things had been getting better between them, something had changed. They couldn't rush. Too many stops and starts left them fragile, so she'd let him go, get his dream, and then when he'd come back…

In his absence, she felt responsible for those kids, more so than usual, and that included looking after their return. She'd stopped and thought… what would he do, and what would she do? She decided he would try and lift their spirits, which she agreed on. So how would she do it? And then she'd thought of the banner. She had it made, picked it up. Now she just had to get it set up on time.

"No, now the left is crooked," she shook her head as the janitor repositioned the cord… for the sixth time. He was going to lose his patience quick.

"Better listen to her," a voice came from behind. She gasped, turning around to find… him.

"Will? You're here, you…" She went from reacting to understanding in half a second, and then in another second she was in his arms, a gesture he had not expected but completely embraced. He probably would have done the same thing if he wasn't figuring she wouldn't be okay with it. When she pulled back she smiled, letting out a breath, then caught herself and pulled back with a cough. "But, hold on, what are you doing here, you're supposed to be in New York, on Broadway, this is your big chance…"

"There are plenty of opportunities in Lima," he shook his head. "Maybe they're not as big and bright, not on stage, but they make me feel just as good if not better," he promised, smiling. She blinked, perhaps understanding exactly what he meant but still needing to ask.

"Oh?" her voice was cautious.

"I want to be there for them, for one thing," he nodded toward the choir room. "And as much as we discussed… certain things," she followed his every word. He looked back to her. "I have a proposition for you," he smiled; she buckled.

"A-a, uh, a proposition? That's…" He couldn't possibly be meaning what she had thought about just then, no it was too soon, way too soon, so he had to mean something else…

"We've got a whole summer ahead of us, a summer without students, and Glee Club, and…"

"Sue…" she contributed, and he laughed.

"And Sue," he agreed. "So I couldn't think of a better time for us to just… try."

"Try?" she repeated, and he nodded. She thought, smiled to herself. "Try…" she repeated again. "I'd like that," she looked to him, carefully letting out a smile for him, which he matched. He made a move forward, with caution which let her know his intentions, let her decide whether to allow or deny him; she didn't deny him, not now. He didn't have to be told twice, leaning in to kiss her. "We're in the hall," she reminded him when they pulled back.

"Of course," he nodded. That was when he saw the banner above. He'd seen it a moment before, but from behind he'd been unable to see the text. "What's…" he laughed, looking back to her in amazement. "Did you do this?" he asked, and she nodded.

"I didn't know you'd be here, and I thought…"

"It's perfect," he told her, and she grinned.

"Well, so, how did it go, I mean…"

"It's a long story, and we have a whole summer," he promised, and she was content with this.

"Yes, we do." He put his arm around her shoulders and together they gazed upon the banner, proudly announcing their defeat. Trophy or no, they had gotten so far, so it wasn't a complete loss, far from.

And now there was this… summer, trying, her and Will. It was almost hard to accept that it was real, after spending so much time missing the mark. They were supposed to be the adults in this, but her heart was doing somersaults like a regular teenage girl in that moment. This was going to be the one, the good one. It could have felt premature to claim it as such, but she'd seen enough defeat to last her a life time. If she said this was going to be the good one, then it was going to be the good one, the culmination of choices good and bad, of their paths swerving around one another, always missing the chance to intersect… Everything was about to change, and she was ready.

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!