School was out, glee was on hiatus, and Will spent most of his waking hours loathing a dentist he had never met. All in all, it had been a pretty uneventful summer so far.

Lying on his couch, he absentmindedly flipped through channels. Baseball games, tv movies – nothing mattered anymore because he had no one to watch them with. He realized how bad it had gotten when a commercial for Lysol caused his eyes to water and his chest to hurt. Emma's favorite scent was lemon.

The doorbell rang and he frowned. He attempted to extinguish the small shred of hope that flared in his chest at the thought of Emma on the other side. Jogging the last few steps, he flung the door open to find not Emma, but Shelby bouncing a very fussy Beth in her arms.

Will had never seen her look so flustered. Her hair was a mess, there were tears in her eyes and it looked as if she hadn't slept in days. Judging by the wailing coming from the child in her arms, Will guessed she hadn't.

"Shelby?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go."

Shelby was the last person Will expected to see on his doorstep. Other than a purely platonic, congratulatory hug after Regionals, Will hadn't heard from her. He had long since discarded the number she scribbled out for him after the make-out session that never should have happened.

Will stepped back and ushered her inside. "What's wrong?"

"She won't sleep. She hates the bottle." Shelby shifted the baby in her arms. "It's like she knows I'm not her mother."

Will led her over to the couch. "I'm sure that's not true."

Shelby wiped a tear from her cheek with her free hand. "Yes, it is. You should see the way she looks at me."

She collapsed on the couch and took a deep breath before finally looking at the man in front of her. "I'm so sorry. I know we're not… we haven't…" she made some noncommittal gesture between the two of them, "but I had nowhere else to go."

"It's not a problem at all, but I really don't know anything about babies. I don't know how much help I can be." He ran a hand through his hair and flinched as Beth's wailing hit a higher octave. "Don't you have any friends who can help you out?"

Shelby let out a bitter chuckle. "My all or nothing personality hasn't exactly endeared me to a lot of people. I know I'm not an easy pill to swallow." She bit her lip as another tear fell. "You might be the only friend I have."

She stood again and began to pace the length of his living room, bouncing the red-faced infant in her arms.

"I don't know what I was getting myself into."

Will shrugged. "No first-time parent knows what they're getting themselves into." The pain washed over his face like a wave and his shoulders sagged. "Trust me. I know."

Shelby's head shot up at his confession and she finally noticed the way his eyes lingered on the baby. "What?"

"Nothing." Will shook his head, instantly regretting bringing up the topic that he had worked so hard to ignore.

Shelby didn't say anything, but continued to give him a calculating glance and eventually the words came tumbling out before he could stop them.

"She was almost mine." Will ran a hand over his face and gestured to Beth.

Shelby's eyes flicked from him to the unhappy child in her arms. "What do you mean?"

Will slumped down on the couch and dropped his head into his hands. "Almost a year ago, my wife told me she was pregnant."

"But…" Shelby prompted. She watched as the broken man in front of her let out a shuddering breath.

"But she wasn't. It was a hysterical pregnancy. And rather than tell me I wasn't going to be a father, she attempted to adopt Quinn's baby behind my back."

"Oh, Will." Shelby stilled her arms and took a step closer to him.

Will took a deep breath and leaned back. "She kept up the charade longer than you'd think she'd be able to. And I was the fool who fell for it."

Shelby took a seat next to him on the couch. "You're not a fool, Will. We see what we want to see. And from the way I see you looking at this baby, I can tell you would have made a fantastic father."

Will let out a stifled sob as Shelby ran her hand up and down her back.

"Oh don't you go crying on me too. I can only comfort one person at a time. And I'm not even doing a very good job at that."

Will smiled and brushed his tears away with the back of his hand. "May I?" He gestured to the baby.

"Please do." Shelby deposited the pink bundle into Will's awaiting arms. Her cries got louder and he stood to walk her around the room. He began to hum "You Are My Sunshine" and, gradually, Beth's cries became whimpers before she quieted altogether.

Shelby's jaw dropped. "How did you do that?"

He chuckled as the baby stared back at him. "I have absolutely no idea, but at least we know she has a set of pipes."

"No kidding. My neighbors know too." Shelby leaned back against the couch and let her eyes close. "Don't mind me. I'm just going to relish the silence for a few moments."

"Take your time. The two of us will be just fine." Will continued to hum as he slowly swayed back and forth.

"She likes your shirt."

Will looked up. "Really?"

Shelby nodded. "She's nuzzling into it. She does that with surfaces she likes. Like the comforter on my bed or the sponge we use in the bath."

Will looked down and, sure enough, the baby was burrowing into the crook of his elbow. He leaned down and gently rubbed his nose across the tuft of hair on her head, inhaling the scent of Johnson's shampoo and baby powder.

"She smells good."

Shelby smiled. "Yeah, she does. When she falls asleep on my chest, I could lay there for hours just smelling her."

"See? You know what you're doing." Will ran a finger over Beth's cheek. "I know it might not seem like it, but you do."

"So do you, apparently." Shelby pushed herself off the couch and made her way to the diaper bag she had not-so-gracefully discarded on the floor. "Do you mind if I heat up a bottle for her?"

"Not at all. I think you remember where the kitchen is."

"Indeed I do," she winked at him.

Will rolled his eyes. "Don't get any ideas."

Shelby laughed outright. "Trust me, you're safe. My ideas are a bit preoccupied with diapers and infant Tylenol."

Will was surprised at the sense of relief that washed over him. He was happy Shelby had come to him as a friend and nothing more. Friendship he could handle.

"How is your girlfriend anyway? Didn't you say she was the guidance counselor?" She shouted from the kitchen.

Grateful that Shelby was unable to see the pained look on his face, Will cleared his throat and called back, "She's dating her dentist."

The noise in the kitchen ceased and Shelby appeared in the doorway holding a bottle in one hand and a can of formula in the other.

"When did the dentist come into the picture?"

Will sighed. "Shortly after she found out about you and me."

Shelby's face fell. "Oh Will, I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize. You had nothing to do with it. It was my fault. I made a mess of things and now… well, let's just say it hasn't been a very good summer."

"It isn't Carl Howell, is it?"

Will's eyebrows shot up and he tensed. "How did you know?" Beth sensed his tension and started to whimper. He absentmindedly bounced her up and down.

"He's my dentist, too."

"What?" The reply came out sharper than Will had intended and Beth started crying. His frustration immediately vanished as he attempted to calm the baby in his arms. "I'm sorry, sweetie, I didn't mean it. Shh, I didn't mean it."

Shelby giggled from the doorway. "She has you absolutely wrapped around her finger."

"Well, when you're this cute," Will nodded towards the baby, "it's not hard."

Shelby's face grew serious for a moment. "I'm sorry your wife did what she did. I meant what I said – you would have made a wonderful father. And I'm sure you will one day."

Will's throat felt tight, but he managed a quiet, "Thank you."

Shelby nodded and disappeared into the kitchen again, leaving Will alone with the baby. He studied her features, wondering what would have happened had she been his. It never would have worked, he knew that. His marriage was over long before pregnancy tests came into the picture. But still, it was nice to wonder. Shelby's words came back to him as he gently swayed back and forth: I'm sure you will one day. The child he pictured was not the one in his arms, with her mother's features and her father's complexion. No, the child he saw had porcelain skin and strawberry hair curled atop her head. Will closed his eyes and let the vision disappear. It only made the ache worse.

Shelby returned and handed him the bottle. "You wanna try?"

"Why not?" Will brought the bottle to Beth's mouth and watched as she hungrily sucked it down. "Tyke's got quite an appetite."

"Yes she does." Shelby sat on the couch again.

"So what's this dentist like?"

"Carl Howell?"

Will stopped staring at the baby and looked up. "I'd prefer not to use his name."

Shelby grinned. "He's attractive."

Will glared. "Wrong choice of words, Shelby."

"But it's true! He is!" Shelby leaned back and closed her eyes again. "Tall, dark, and handsome."

Will made a noise of disgust, causing Shelby to laugh.

"Is he nice?"

Shelby cocked her head at him. "He always has been to me."

Will nodded and returned his attention to the baby. "If he makes her happy, then…" He let the thought trail off.

"You're a good man, Will."

He let out a sarcastic snort. "Not everyone seems to think so."

"I've seen the way your kids look at you. You were the glue that held them together at Regionals. Without you, they would have fallen apart." Shelby stood and placed a hand on his arm. "What's her name?"

"Emma."

Shelby squeezed him. "She'll come around."

Will didn't know how to respond so he let the comfortable silence hang in the air. Shelby ran a hand across Beth's head as the bottle popped out of her mouth.

"Is she done?"

Shelby shook her head. "She needs to be burped." She went to take the baby from Will but he held tight.

"I can do it, just… you know, show me how."

Shelby smiled and placed a blanket over Will's right shoulder as she directed him to shift the baby in his arms. Once he had a secure hand under her tiny butt, he gently patted her back.

"This is the gross part, isn't it," Will said as the baby gripped his collar between her fingers.

"Well, it's not pretty, but it's definitely not the worst."

Beth made a noise and Shelby wiped up the formula that came back up from the baby's mouth. "Not bad, Mr. Schuester."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Wow, I was expecting something out of The Exorcist."

Shelby laughed. "Babies can only hold so much stuff." She handed him the bottle again. "Now she'll finish it."

Will was surprised at how easy it was the maneuver the baby. It was as if he had been doing it all his life.

Shelby returned to the couch. "Thanks for letting us gatecrash."

"You can crash anytime you want," Will said as he rubbed Beth's cheek with his finger.

Shelby silently watched as Will began to hum again. Her daughter locked eyes with Will and didn't look away. She cleared her throat, "How's Rachel?"

Will looked up, surprised. "She's good. Very happy that the club gets another year. She's been emailing me potential set lists every other day."

Shelby laughed, but sobered quickly. "How did she take the adoption?"

"Of Beth?" Shelby nodded and Will sighed. "She didn't really talk about it. But I could tell it was eating her up. Rachel's hardly ever quiet."

"I'm an awful person." Shelby buried her face in her hands. Will pulled them away.

"No, you're not. And Rachel knows that. She also knows that, while you might not have the bond that mothers and daughters do, you'll still be there." Will rubbed his free hand up and down Shelby's arm. "Has she seen Beth?"

Shelby nodded. "I told Rachel she could come over whenever she wanted. Quinn and Noah too. But only Rachel and Noah have come."

"How did Puck take it?"

"I could tell it was hard for him to leave, but I think he's happy just to spend time with her. He seemed a little lost as to what to do, but he's getting better."

"Quinn will come around. It can't be easy for her." Will glanced down at the baby in his arms and tried to imagine what it must feel like to give your child up. Shelby broke him out of his depressing train of thought.

"Can I ask a big favor?"

"Of course." Will removed the bottle as Beth drifted off to sleep.

"I'm helping the new Vocal Adrenaline coach with auditions from 4-6 tomorrow. Day care only goes until 3…"

"You want me to take her?"

Shelby bit her lip. "Would you mind?"

Will shook his head. "Babysitting for a few hours doesn't concern me. What concerns me is that Vocal Adrenaline is holding auditions in June."

Shelby laughed. "We like to have a leg up on the competition."

Will rolled his eyes. "Don't I know it."

Shelby stood and gathered up Beth's things. "I should probably get her home and put her to bed."

Will stood and passed the baby off as Shelby grabbed his hand.

"Will, I can't thank you enough for tonight."

He smiled the first genuine smile in what felt like weeks. "It was my pleasure."

"I'll drop her off around 3:30?"

"Sounds good," Will said as he eased the diaper strap over Shelby's shoulder. Shelby flashed him a smile as she opened the door, placing a hand on the side of his cheek.

"Chin up, Will."

As she let her hand fall from his face, he grabbed it and gave it a squeeze, letting her know just how much he needed tonight too.

He shut the door and leaned against it, staring at the muted baseball game on the television. The hurt was still there but, with the weight of Beth in his arms still fresh in his mind, he noticed the pain had dulled to an ache.

Summer was looking up.

Could be continued… Should I? I have Wemma ideas like whoa.