Still Got Tonight, a glee fanfic

The auditorium was dark and empty save for a solitary figure looming in the shadows. Light pools from the top of the center aisle, casting a mysterious glow over the last few rows of seats and extending outward to the lone figure standing on the stage, a man dressed in a white T-shirt under an open blue dress shirt and khakis bathed in a single spotlight in front of a red backdrop.

What was Will Schuester doing alone on a Broadway stage in New York City?

He had just left the New Directions kids back at the hotel to enjoy a celebration of having completed their first nationals together and had come here to think about his future. They hadn't won, but they did place which was an achievement in itself. He had been so proud of everything the kids accomplished over the course of the year despite some obstacles in their way, however he was still thinking about whether he should stay in the city and pursue his dream of being a performer or going back to Lima with the kids and continue to teach and rebuild for another run at the national title next year. And then there was Emma, who he loved with all his heart even with everything she was going through. What was he going to do? Sometimes when he was feeling down, he would sing. As music began to play, he stood alone in that spotlight and let the song consume him.

If you're not home, I'll sit here on your doorstep
Button up my coat and wait
We'll go upstairs close the curtains and we're all set
to pick up where we left again
There's question marks hangin' over us
But we won't give the time of day, oh
'Cause all we got is these few stolen seconds
And we can't let them go to waste

The stars collide
We come back to life
We come back to life
The sparks will fly
One look in your eyes
My heart's open wide
I know time's running out now
But we'll hold back the sun somehow
See the sky?
We've still got tonight
We've still got tonight

Come 9am
I'm packing every suitcase
Leave you in your bed so warm
I'll do my best not to wake you but it's useless
Can't tiptoe 'round this no more, oh
It's gonna get much harder
Before it gets better baby and that's for sure, mmm
Just say you'll wait for my footsteps on the staircase
And I will walk back through this door

So keep your eyes open
There's no time to close them
Just hold on
So tight now
We still got tonight
(We've still got tonight)
(We've still got tonight)

He was too wrapped up in the music to notice another silent figure slip into the auditorium, it looked to be a woman.

If all we got is these few stolen seconds
We can't let them go to waste

So much was filling Will's mind at that moment – performing, glee club, dreams and Emma. His voice grew even stronger and more emotional as the song he was singing was reaching its climax.

We've still got tonight
We've still got tonight

And as the music faded, Will's heart was beating. Perhaps he had just realized one of his dreams right then and there.

"I know talent," said the manager of the theatre as he stepped out of the shadows and looked up at Will, "and you're talented. You have a very emotional tone in your voice, it's a natural gift that you have and it's wonderful."

"Thank you," Will replied.

"I couldn't agree more," said a woman's gentle voice, and the figure walked out of the darkness and began to advance down the aisle towards the stage, "he's the most talented man I know." She was wearing a black dress and matching Mary Jane heels, her red hair hanging to her shoulders and her familiar wide brown eyes regarding the scene with pride.

"Is that you Emma?" said Will, walking forward towards the edge of the stage until he could clearly see her. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd still be in Lima!" Two of the glee club parents had agreed to help him chaperone the trip so he wouldn't be alone, but seeing his best friend here was truly a surprise.

"I flew in this morning and was able to watch the kids perform," she said, climbing the stairs to the stage to face him. "Then I stopped by the hotel where you're staying, Rachel told me where you were – I owed it to myself to be here to support you. Second place at your first nationals together, you must be very proud." Emma could have sworn he looked like he was ready to cry.

"What's the matter, Will?" she asked gently. "I thought becoming a performer was your lifelong dream, you have the talent to become a huge success on Broadway! Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

"I really thought it was," Will admitted as he choked back a tear, "but then I saw the kids give it their all onstage in that competition. It made me realize that they really need me, they mean the world to me and I want to see them succeed. And then there's you, Em – through the whole time we were here I couldn't stop thinking about you. You took a huge step in flying out here alone, that means more to me than anything. Being a famous singing star was my dream when I was growing up and going through high school, but sometimes when you get older, those dreams change. That's what I'd come to realize when I was singing."

"So you're going to continue teaching?" said Emma, looking a little shocked. "I almost thought you'd be staying to help April with her show!"

"The kids need me," Will said again, "and besides, with us coming in second at our first nationals, that will just motivate us to work harder to grab first place next year. Just getting to sing alone on a Broadway stage was a dream come true, but I'd rather be putting my talents towards helping the glee club get stronger." He smiled at Emma, knowing that he had made the right choice.

"There's one more reason why I came out here to see you," said Emma, "and it's taken me over a year to finally realize it."

"Realize what?" asked Will.

"That I love you," she replied, "and I always have. Carl was nice to me, but even then you've always held a special place in my heart." Closing her eyes, she stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around Will's neck and kissed him on the lips as the two stood together in the spotlight, reunited at last.