Summary: Emma left her job at McKinley the summer Will told her that he loved her and moved back to her home town of Virginia. What has happened in the 2 years she has been away? And what happens when a chance encounter in New York brings Will and Emma face to face once again?
As the leaves fell to the ground, the branches hanging naked from the trees, I padded my way through the streets of Manhattan, my beret at times becoming loose from the blustery winds that swept through the city. Gusts of winds howled through gaps in the buildings, capturing up stranded sheets of newspapers, blowing them in every direction as I did my best to avoid the dozens of tourists that stopped every few steps to take photos, sometimes of themselves and their friends, sometimes of the buildings, sometimes even the streets. I had wrapped myself up warm this morning, taking the advice off the weather forecaster who had suggested warm clothing for the next few days; the winter weather beginning to set in already. New York was just as I had imagined; skyscrapers, bright lights, yellow cabs speeding down the busy roads as pedestrians, all shapes and sizes did their best to either avoid them or hail one down. The shops were fantastic; every boutique imaginable was right on your doorstep, ready and willing to lure you in. I had spent my time over the past few days travelling around the sights; my niece and nephew; Michael and Natalie dragging us around the city, wanting to see everything in the short amount of time we were here. Yesterday had been pretty eventful. We traipsed up the Empire State Building; my brother and the kids making it up to the top while Michelle (my brother's wife), James and I stopped half way; Michelle's fear of heights kicking in. We had caught Billy Elliot on Broadway that night prompting Michael to attempt a North English accent for the rest of the evening, much to the annoyance of his older sister. Today, however I had wanted to spend the day alone; spend a day for just me. I had already made a start on the clothes shop, purchasing several new skirts and cardigans, even buying a pair of skinny Levis jeans as an alternative. I now wanted to look at the jewellery; I had been saving up for the trip ever since my brother had suggested it 3 months ago. Gavin had always wanted to go to New York when he was a teenager. He had wanted to explore the city, sample the sights, the girls. Unlike me, he had dreams to live in the city, work in the city, your typical suit-wearing business man heading into the office blocks for a 9-5 shift at the office. He wanted to make it big, make a name for himself. My dad however had always said no using excuse upon excuse; we can't afford it, how about somewhere closer to home instead – you always used to love the lakes as a kid, didn't you Gav? In all honesty, we all knew dad could afford it but Gav never questioned it, knowing the reason he lied was for me, to protect me. Dad knew going to somewhere as big as New York; the germs, the people would have been too much for me to handle all at once and despite Gavin's dreams of visiting New York he knew he couldn't do it to me, knowing the reason I was like this was because of him. Despite the accident, we had still remained close, ringing one another from time to time to catch up, the distance between him in Los Angeles and me in Virginia meaning visits were hard to plan, especially since both our jobs demanded our attention on a day to day basis.
I had stopped outside a little shop that rested on the corner of the pavement; a green and silver encrusted dragonfly brooch capturing my attention as it sparkled through the display window. By now the time was half 11. Michelle and Natalie should be at the salon by now; it had been Gav's idea for the two ladies in his life to treat themselves, spend some girly time together whilst he James and Michael went down to Central Park, ball in hand, ready to play soccer. I was relieved that my family had taken so well to James over the past year, they truly made him feel part of the family. It was especially important to me that James and my dad bonded; I remember spending time speaking to Michelle at a family barbeque, glancing over at him and my dad every so often, a smile creeping up on my face as I watched them together. A lot of things had changed in my life recently. I had left McKinley; moved back to Virginia, bought a new place to live, found a new job, a new therapist. But the best thing that had changed was having James in my life. It had only been about a year and half since I had first met him but now, I couldn't imagine him not being part of my life. He had captured my heart the moment I first saw him and he continued to hold it, as he would forever more.
I was about to step through the glass door, when I faintly heard the sound of my name being called. Brushing it off I took a step further to the shop until I felt a hand tap me on the shoulder, causing my shopping bags to crash to the floor, a cardigan escaping out of its specified bag and onto the dirt ridden pavement.
'Oh sorry Miss P, here let me get those for you'. I couldn't believe it. Finn and Rachel were stood in front of me; Finn bending down to retrieve my shopping bags before handing them back to me. They looked the same, clearly they had stayed together throughout the past couple of years; their hands entwined with one another's.
'Miss Pillsbury!' Rachel exclaimed, her white pearly teeth gleaming from behind her lips, 'We haven't seen you in ages! You seemed to have just disappeared after we lost at Regional's - why did you-'. I saw Finn jibe Rachel in the ribs with his elbow prompting her to turn round, meeting his stare with a 'don't continue' kind of look. I knew the kids at McKinley, more so the Glee kids knew about my rocky relationship with a certain Spanish teacher and Finn being as close to Will as he was must have known that it had prompted my departure. Rachel had turned back to me, a sympathetic look on her face.
'So, what brings you kids to New York then? Couples retreat, Broadway?' I said quickly, the sudden rush of panic evident in my speech.
'Actually were here with Mr Schue and the new, New Directions. They're here for Nationals tomorrow night and Mr Schue rang us a few weeks ago, obviously needing my talent and expertise to help motivate and encourage the kids, I have been performing since the age of 1 after all.' I smiled politely, something's never change. Wait. Did she say Will was here in New York?
'Will's here?' I croaked out, my throat becoming in dire need of fluid right away.
'Yeah, he's just down the road, he just sent us out for cookies'. Finn raised the paper bag with 'Millie's Cookies' scrawled on it proving in fact he was telling the truth.
'I'm sure he'd love to see you Miss P, you know he wasn't the same when you left, always down, mopping around, it was like he wasn't the same person anymore, every time someone even mentioned your name he'd be-' It was now Rachel's turn to jibe Finn in the ribs ushering him to be quiet.
Would he? Would he be happy to see me? I wasn't convinced. I had been a coward back then, had put my own feelings before his. 'He wasn't the same' Had I really crushed him that much? Part of me didn't want to go, scared of how he'd react if he saw me again. But a part of me felt I needed to do this, for myself as well as for him. he deserved some sort of explanation, an apology of some kind. I had been selfish back then and now I would try and make things right.
'You said you guys were right round the corner?' I pointed behind Finn and Rachel enthusiastically nodded.
'Yeah, it's this way, follow us'. Rachel almost ripped Finn's hand off as she dragged him down the pavement, I; myself followed then at a cautious distance; the slower I took the longer it would take before I saw him. Oh god, could I do this? Could I revisit my past and make amends with a man whose heart I had broken?
Reviews and your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know what you think!
At the moment this chapter is here to set the scene and the events that follow, Will will be in the next chapter and there is a long awaited showdown between the two of them. What exactly did Emma do? And who is James?
Hope you all enjoy (:
(and to all American viewers - Happy 4th July!)