Title: What We've Become

Status: WIP
Summary:

It only takes a decade to discover just what you were meant to do with your life.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or anything related to it other than my cds...
A/N: This is one of the WIPs I had back at my LJ, and as I have promised before, I'm cross-posting a few of them here. This piece is one of my earlier attempts at fanfiction, is completely un-betaed and my first whack at an ensemble piece, so some might come off as a little OOC.

Will was a happy man. Possibly the happiest man in the world if you'd ask him yourself. The last 10 years have never been anything but great for him. I mean, he's married to Emma, has an energetic young boy that happens to take to his musical stylings, and his job at the State University couldn't have been more gratifying.

Yes, he's having the best times of his life.

And to see his students grow to become professionals, he couldn't help but feel actualized, knowing that he'd helped mold these young people to become decent and competent. And it doesn't hurt too that he runs their university's much lauded choir group.

And it's during one of their Saturday afternoon practices that Will's mind went back to the first set of kids he'd taken under his wing. Though they'd never won Regionals even once in their whole 2 years, they had bonded and became a family. And Will was so sure that they would do well once they left the halls of McKinley. They have their talents...and they have each other and that's what counted.

Will stood back along the first row at the auditorium, watching his two soloists Jane and Michael, take on a Journey song, and Will's mind flew instantly to Rachel Berry and to Finn Hudson.

Jane was so much like Rachel, the attitude, the drive to become stars...it was all there. She had a great big voice, but Will could say without a doubt that Rachel's got the better set of pipes. And Michael...he was like a carbon copy of his favorite quarterback, the only difference being their height.

And one by one, the rest of the choir members joined the song, singing their solo lines with such passion that it was beautiful. He has great kids, and if there's one thing he learned from leading New Directions, is that you need to give each kid a chance to shine. And it is that thought that almost instantly made Will tear up because he knew...no, he regrets it that he wasn't really able to do that with New Directions.

Will lets the chorus and verses flow through him and it didn't take long before he could feel the tears flow down his cheeks in a steady stream. He clapped hard as the song ended, allowing his members to gather around him. And they did not miss the tear streaks on his face.

Another girl, Diane, was the brave one, asked him if he was alright. Will merely shrugged and told them that they'd reminded him so much of his old Glee club and sincerely told them that they'd win Nationals for sure. He laughs as everyone cheers and they thank him because they know...and they've seen the old videos of New Directions, that to be compared to such an exemplar group was a high compliment coming from Mr. Schue.

And it's Michael who pipes up and suggests to Will that wouldn't it be great that they'd have a little reunion or such. Just him and his old glee club.

Will considers it for a moment, but shakes his head that there was no way he could get all their contact numbers. But he feels grateful when the new kids volunteers to help him.

It doesn't take long until Will gets a list of phone numbers and addresses on his desk. He scans the list as two of his students stand before him, waiting, and he couldn't believe that he finds every single one of them on the list. He smiles as he sees that Rachel is currently residing in London (doing well in the Great White Way no doubt), that Artie Abrams had finally married Tina Cohen-Chang, and that Puck seems to have a successful business going on: Puckerman's Export Inc.

"How did you get all these?" Will asks, still feeling quite incredulous.

"Ah, well. We have our ways." Ryan, one of his seniors, simply grins before giving Michael a high-five. And the two leaves him with that.

When he gets home, he finds his wife making dinner with his son studying at the table. He greets them both with a kiss and he shows the list to Emma and she beams.

"This is great, Will! You should call them."

It's at around 9 o'clock, when he's finished tucking Harry to bed, that he picks up the phone and dials the first number he saw. Mike Chang. As the phone rings, Will remembers his former student, how the boy was more of a dancer than a singer and how he puts on a show every time he stepped up to dance. Will smiles at the thought of just how much dance duels he's done with the kid and he finds it easy to see him being successful with that talent.

So it's a surprise for Will when he hears the other line pick up, and he's sure that it's Mike who answers the phone, that for the first time it isn't an enthusiastic 'Hello' that greets him. Instead it's an exasperated: "Stop calling me you assholes! I told you I don't need a pair of new crutches. I already have a chair thank you very much!"

And even before Will could introduce himself, the other end is dropped a little too harshly and it got Will thinking that it mustn't have been Mike because there was no way he'd act like that. The kid was too polite, too humble...but then he'd recalled just what has been said. And the thought itself just made Will's heart drop.

But that in itself didn't stop him from dialing another number, this time it's Brittany's. Lovable albeit a little slow Brittany. Will didn't like it that the kids sometimes made fun of her for that fact, but she was adorable and she danced too well that it wasn't hard for Will to like her despite her being a Cheerio. So Will patiently waited, and was glad that he was picked up and a voice, though not Brittany's replied.

"Uhm, is Ms. Brittany there?"

"May I know who's calling, please?"

"It's Will Schuester. I was a teacher back at McKinley High..." Will began to introduce himself, but the voice cut him off.

"Oh, I know you. You're that Glee teacher aren't you?" The voice, whom Will finally remembered belonged to Brittany's mother, had seemingly perked up in interest.

"Yes, ma'am I am." And Will started to feel happy, like finally he was getting somewhere, to actually talk to one of his kids. But that happiness was soon crushed when Brittany's mother had told him that Brittany wasn't at home anymore.

"Well, she's not home, Mr. Schuester." Will's shoulders slumps. He got really excited to get to talk to the former Cheerio. But Will shakes his head, thinking that he could maybe try some other time. Brittany must have been very busy, he thought. "And she doesn't really talk to anyone else."

"Oh, that's okay. Maybe I could call some other time then? When she's not busy?"

Will became a little disconcerted when all he's met is with silence. And when the voice finally came back, Will just wished that he just hadn't asked at all. He solemnly puts back the receiver back on its cradle and simply puts his face in his hands.

No, Brittany isn't homeless. She's just not at home at the moment, she's just in a home.

The line kept repeating in his head, as if mocking him. The fact that Brittany's mother thanked him for even calling at all, asking how her daughter is was a little disheartening and Will already feels the tension in his neck. He tries to massage it away but fails miserably. When he'd first thought of calling everybody up, this wasn't what he expected. Far from it.

So when Will looks back up to see his wife's concerned face, he reaches out for her and just hugs her because he knows he needs one right now.

Breakfast the next day was taken later than usual and was a rather quiet affair at the Schuester household, with their son out at school. And as much as Emma loved the silence, she couldn't shake away the nerves every time she took a glance at Will across the table. At least he feels better now, she thinks...hopes he is. In all through the 7 years of marriage, she has never seen him like this. She felt bad for sure, once she found out what had happened to some of the Glee kids, but she doesn't want Will to be down than he already is.

"It's going to be okay, Will. Those kids are different. I bet the other kids are doing just fine if not better."

Emma hears what she just said and is surprised at how sure her voice sounded. But for some reason, she couldn't quite believe it. She wanted to believe what she just said, but can't help the heaviness that crept up when she saw Will gives her a small smile. But she smiles back and promptly returns to the newspaper in her hand.

Emma reads the headlines and shakes her head. So much violence in the world, so many lives affected. She cringes as she sees news of a rather horrifying plane crash and it saddens her of just how many people had died. Her eyes scans the list. It takes her less than a second to spot a name, but it felt like hours for it to actually register.

Will loves his wife...and if possible, more after last night. She had stayed awake with him until he felt comfortable enough to sleep. She was the strong one when he needed her to be. And that's what's important. So when he sees her slowly fold the newspaper after midway reading it, it concerns him, because he knows she never puts down the paper unless she's read everything.

"Emma?"

She looks up from the folded paper, and Emma just shakes her head and remains mum. She's glad when Will doesn't push the topic, and just returns to his breakfast, albeit hesitantly. She knows that Will will find out some other way, but she knows that it would be best if the news came from her, but not yet. She can't do this to him just yet, she herself can't still believe it.

It was only when Will had left for work that she found the local directory and dialed a number. But when the other line picked up, Emma froze.

The voice on the other line prompted once more, and this time, Emma found the courage to speak.

"Mrs. Rutherford? This is Mrs. Schuester, Matt's high school guidance counselor, and my husband ran the school's Glee Club. We would..." Emma started, but couldn't help but choke up on a sob. But she's glad when Mrs. Rutherford calmly assures her that it's alright.

Why must it be this hard? Emma wipes away a tear that threatened to fall before resuming.

"Mr. Schuester and I would like to extend our condolences to you and your husband. Matthew was an exemplary student and was a great addition to his Glee Club and as you should bow, we already miss him."

It wasn't until after dinner the next day that Emma had the heart to tell her husband of Matt Rutherford. He was calm this time, and Emma couldn't help but be worried, because he shouldn't be calm.

She places a hand on his shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze.

"Why don't you contact the other kids, Will? What about Finn?" Emma suggests. She knows how close those two were. "My cousin who's still back at Lima tells me that he's a teacher at McKinley. She tells me he's great with kids."

Emma hoped that this little information would at least get a positive reaction from Will, but all she gets is a shrug.

"I'm afraid, Emma." Will says, his voice unsteady. Emma simply grips him harder and she understands. "What would I find if I'd reconnect with them? Take Mike Chang. I didn't even get a word out on the phone, I already knew he's disabled and miserable. And Brittany. She was a fine girl. Sure, she might have been slow, but she made it out of high school, and that should account to something. I already pity those old people at nursing homes, but Brittany. She's young...so young. And although I know that what happened to Matt was unexpected, but he died, Emma. He died!"

"And what if I do call up the others? What would I find out?" Will was visibly trembling now, and somehow Emma gets what he's feeling. The doubt that's growing, it's palpable and all too real. "I think we're all better off not knowing anything at all."

"Will..."

"No, I've meddled enough in their lives before, it's not in my place to meddle in it now, Emma." Will runs a hand through his hair before making room in the couch so she could sit beside him. "It was selfish of me to even think of having a reunion when they won't...can't..."

"Will, you're a teacher. That's what you do. And if it weren't for you...New Directions wouldn't have existed. They owe it to you that much." Emma wraps her arms around her husband. "They wouldn't, in their right minds deny you this. I know that for sure."

Will leans back against his chair, reading and re-reading his entry. It took him 2 weeks and a funeral before Emma convinced him to reach out to the kids once again. And after 4 hours of draft-making, Will finally came up with a 5-sentence composition that he hopes would properly, and politely convey his plans of a reunion. Because he knows he needs it, and he knows the kids need it, because judging from his past attempts at communication, Will found out that it had only been him who had tried at all. So with a few final grammatical edits, and when he finds it decent enough, he proceeds to send the said entry to 10 addresses with a rather dramatic sigh.

It isn't until 2 days later he gets his first reply. It's from Mercedes. But the one statement reply he received was a bit disappointing, but Will understands. Mercedes stated in her reply that she was currently busy with her work and she wouldn't mind if they could talk about it some other time. So Will types a reply that it would be great and that he'll wait, and really, that's all he could do. Will wasn't worried though...Mercedes was always the 'we can do this, so let's do it!' type of person, and she did say she still kept in contact with the Abrams and the Hudsons and that she will no doubt endorse his plan.

The second reply surprisingly came from Santana. Will didn't expect much but was pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation to a performance night at some fancy hotel a couple hours away on the 24th and he's glad. So Will replies and tells Santana that he would go. If this is a chance to see one of his kids live their dream of song and dance, then there was nothing that would stop him from going.

Emma surprisingly agrees to let him go out at night and go to the performance. But she does tell him that he should be home around midnight. Will simply shakes his head and thanks her.

On the night of the 24th, Will heads off to the hotel, but what he's met is not what he expected. Barely even taking a step into the hall, he could already feel all that is wrong in the picture. The air is heavy with the stench of alcohol and visibility could very well be moot. Drunken men and divorcees huddle each table, drinking away their miseries, with music serving as their only accompaniment. And it's there that Will spots Santana. Or who he thinks is Santana. But the voice and the mannerisms and the velvety tone to the voice is distinctly Santana's.

Will waits at the back, constantly pushing flirty women away, and occasionally thrust his ring finger at some of their faces just so they leave him alone. And somehow it works and it gives him the chance to focus on her. But try as he might to appreciate the technicalities and the perfect pitch and tone as Santana serenaded the hotel guests, he can't help but zone in on the weariness, the sadness that undercuts the song. He keeps his gaze on her and when she spots him amongst the drunken hoard, she smiles.

After her last song ends and as another act steps up on the stage, Santana saunters her way across grabby hands and pulls Will off the table, and onto the bar. And it's there that Will figures that Santana wasn't just some walk in act by the way the bartender had immediately handed her a drink without her even asking. And he sits there, stunned, because if you were to ask Will where he thought Santana would be in 10 years time, he wouldn't have guessed this.

She glances away from her drink, turns to her former teacher, and lets out a breathy laugh.

"Not exactly what you expected was it, Mr. Schuester?" Will remains silent, and Santana's amused. She leans towards him, inquiring. "Why did you come, Mr. Schue?"

"You sent me an invitation, and as somebody who knows you, I feel inclined to come." Will says, but the girl beside him isn't taking any of it. She scoffs, and Will can't help but feel a little hurt. But he reminds himself that this is Santana, she's not exactly the most social type despite her asking the bartender to give him a drink.

"You should have known that that was an automatic sender. Everyone on my contacts list gets it."

"So you haven't gotten my message?" Will asks, taking a tentative sip from his drink. He lets the burn subside before looking back at her.

"On the contrary, Mr. Schue. The first time I read it, I found it funny." By this time, Will had adjusted to not really take Santana's words to heart. But he couldn't deny that little pang of pain inside. He did what he thought was best, and here he was sitting at a bar with one of those who had received his well thought and well planned letter, and she was putting him down. And the hurt look in his eyes that belied his entire expression was not lost on Santana. "You're not getting me here, Schue. I get that you want some kind of get together amongst us kids, and it's been 10 years, no other more appropriate time than that. But what I found incredibly amusing was how it's also untimely."

"I mean, how many have replied to your message, Mr. Schue? How many of us actually showed even just a little bit of interest in your plan?" Will thought back on his message. He'd sent it more than a week ago, and he barely heard from anyone. He'd be lying if he said that he hadn't felt a little crushed.

"Is that why I saw none of you at Matt's funeral?"

Will regretted it almost immediately as the words left his mouth. He saw Santana's face go blank...did she not know?

"Look, Mr. Schue. I'm not saying that we don't want to see each other, it's just that we are too busy living our lives to ever have time to focus it on others." Santana began in a slow even tone, as if willing herself seem unfazed with his death. "Matt's funeral on the other hand, well, none of us expected it. But you're asking the wrong person here. Matt and I weren't exactly close." Her last statement almost came out as a whisper, but Will still heard it. Even amongst the ruckus behind them, he still heard it. This prompted Will to lay a hand over hers on the counter top. But Santana merely drew her hand back, cradling her own drink, before finishing it off in one go. "And as I have said before, we all got too much going on in our own lives. We can't risk it."

Will slowly nodded and downed the rest of his drink in one gulp. "Most of the people that I still keep in contact with are barely grasping at straws just so they could get by from day to day."

Santana heard Will let out a defeated sigh. "What exactly were you expecting when you came here, Mr. Schue? It's along way from Columbus..."

Will shrugged and simply looked at her and it hit him right then and there. She looked different. The Santana he knew was that feisty cheerleader that always got her way, now though, as he looked at her, all he sees is a shell of that Cheerio.

"To be honest? I expected some mini concert that showcased Ms. Santana Lopez and your name in lights." Will gestures widely with his hands, prompting Santana to smile. And just when she was about to give a retort, Will cut her off, because she needs to hear this. She needed to hear this ten years ago. "You're a great singer, Santana. And you deserve to live your dream and leave this pit hole."

Santana's expression softened. She knew he was trying, but in her mind, it's a little too late. This is her life now and it's all the more drilled into her head as she sees her boss call her back in at her periphery. And she sighed as she saw her former teacher's defeated gaze. So, instead, she lays a gentle hand on his shoulder, before standing up to go back to work, leaving Will alone at the bar.

"Not all of us are lucky enough to follow our dreams, Mr. Schue."

A/N: You probably have figured the sole purpose of this fic by now and as of this chapter, we had 4 of the kids in various situations. The next chapter's already written, but I still have to polish it up a bit, so it may be uploaded tomorrow. I hope you guys enjoyed this one and as always...reviews are love :D