"Anywhere But Here"

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters unfortunatley :/

A/N: Hello! First off, this is a AU story about Will and Emma of course, taking place in high school. As a result, things may or may not be the same as they were mentioned on the show. Some people who could have been in the story such as April and Bryan Ryan are not, because Will and Emma are juniors so those two would have graduated already. Within the first few chapters, other familiar characters will be introduced, but mainly a plot devices so they will only be used as necessary, so don't fret.

Chapter One

"We're gonna hang out tonight, right Will?"

"Sure, why not?" Will answered with a grin. "I'll see you later Ter."

She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek wave before turning around and catching up with the rest of her 'friends' as he watched on. Sighing, he closed his locker and slid his jacket on, preparing himself for the windy day ahead. As usual, he walked home from school, most of the times by himself. It was the times by alone however, that he looked forward to the most. He didn't have to put on a fake smile, or get into conversation he didn't want to, or even do things he didn't want to do. Those were the times where he could reflect on who he was and who he wanted to be, but always fell short on finding those aspirations.

It didn't take long to get to his house, as he inserted his key into the lock on the doorknob anxiously. Opening the door, he heard laughter coming from what was probably the kitchen, and braced himself for what was probably his drunken mother, howling with her friends from down the street. Luckily, it sounded more light-hearted and civilized.

"Hey – I'm home!"

Will dropped his bag by the closet and made his way through the living room, his shoulders slumped.

He heard his mom call out from the kitchen, "Willy! Guess who's here,"

Groaning at the nick name which he loathed so much, but put up with because his mother called it 'special' he walked towards the kitchen, expecting to see some familiar faces.

"Ma – you don't have to call me that in front of your friends you know…"

His expression softened and his voice faltered when his gaze met a giggling redhead, sitting at his kitchen table, more adorable than ever. Call him a sucker for that kind of stuff, but it never failed to make him smile – except for now, because all he could display was utter disbelief. Why hadn't he expected to see her, of all people in his home? She moved away about two years ago because of her parents getting transfered to new working locations, and they hadn't seen each other since. He licked his lips as her eyes might his for the first time in the brief moment, getting a glimpse of what he must have looked like too.

"Aren't you going to something Will?"

He cleared his throat, "Emma…"

"Hi Will."

She managed to choke out those two words, before locking her gaze to the cracked tiles in the floor beneath her. If she could see her reflection, she would probably see that her cheeks were now flustered, from her increased heart rate. It had been so long since she had last seen him, and she wanted to so badly, even after all this time. He looked much older, much more and mature – and much more handsome.

The now unsettling silence allowed different thoughts to plague both of their minds. Will's mother broke the uneasy tension with a simple question.

"Are you okay Will?"

He closed his eyes tight before answering back, stumbling on his words.

"Yeah, I – I'm fine, just a little tired." Quickly, he composed himself and walked briskly towards Emma's mother, and gave her a light hug. "Hello Mrs. Pillsbury."

She beamed at the young man, "Oh Will, you've grown up!"

He shrugged his shoulders at the obvious, "Yup… thanks."

Will wasn't sure what else to say, and stayed as polite and simple as possible. Before looking over at Emma once more, he quickly dismissed himself out of the back door, and onto the porch. He held onto the wooden railing, confused at why he was so – emotional, when he knew good and well that things were always better with an Emma Pillsbury in his life, and the past few years were nowhere close to that feeling. It worried him now, that things wouldn't be the same no matter how optimistic he tried to be.

A few minutes later, Emma looked out the screen door to find Will standing there, tense and quiet. Slowly, she opened the door, feeling a bit of nervousness as she walked onto the deck. She had expected things to be awkward, but he was completely – out of it. She missed his smile, his laugh, and most importantly their friendship. One step at a time, she approached him and taped his shoulder lightly.

"Will?"

He turned around hesitantly, and smiled. "Hey… what's up?"

The sound of her voice was so sweet and it was the only thing keeping him calm at the moment. When Emma didn't respond, he sat down on the steps, leaving enough room for her to join him. At first she stood there and stared at the spot before sitting down next to him, a timid smile on her face.

"How are you? We haven't talked in a long time…"

He chuckled half-heartedly, "Fine I guess, and yeah…" Will combed his hand through his hair and looked down to the ground. "What about you?"

Emma nodded, "I'm okay… the whole moving part was kind troublesome, but that's alright." She spared the details and went on, "Are you sure you're fine?" The concern her voice was clear and it was obvious that his attempt at appearing unfazed by her presence was falling short. Will looked up at and let out a sigh.

"Do I look bad?"

Her throat tightened, "W – what do you mean?"

"Seriously," His eyes narrowed as he looked past her, "I probably look like a wreck – I feel like one. It's embarrassing. "

The last thing he wanted was to seem like an emotional wreck in front of her. In that moment though, he knew it would be okay to let it all out because even now, she was the one person he trusted and never had he doubted that one aspect of their friendship. When he realized she hadn't responded yet, he lowered his head with worry.

"No Will, it's – "

"I missed you – a lot." Will took a deep breath, feeling a surge of relief following his admittance. When he finally looked to Emma, he saw her widened eyes and couldn't help but laugh at himself. "This probably sounds so cheesy."

A humble smile grew on her face. Not just because he of his way blatant way of clearing the tension, but because of his endearing honesty which she admired so much. And that was the honesty that gave light to the fact that he missed her just as much as she missed him and it was amazing to know. Her insecurities about where they stood always caused her to question whether or not she crossed his mind, because she thought about him all the time. And it was also that honesty and courage that she wished she had possessed so that maybe, she could tell him how much he really meant to her. And how much she loved him.

"I missed you too Will," she spoke barely above a whisper as their eyes met each other's. "I'm sorry… for leaving."

He shook his head, "Don't be, it's not your fault. I actually feel bad – for not keeping in touch and all."

"I know, but I'm back now – for good."

The assurance in her voice put Will at ease and his body finally relaxed. And the same way the wind tugged at Emma's hair, the corners of his lips tugged into a smile and he raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

Emma giggled, "Yes, I'm sure."

"Good."

Finally, Emma saw that spark in his eyes that she had been waiting for. And it was good to know that she was probably the only one who had that effect on him. A few awkward glances later, Will opened his arms and she fell into his embrace. He held her tightly as if it was a bear hug and instead of feeling crushed, she felt a weight lifted off of her – one that longed to be in his arms. And because it was such a rare occasion, she relished it. She took the time to inhale his cologne and she was in a state of nirvana for the first time for as long as she could remember.

A knock at the door caused them to break apart abruptly.

"Emma dear, it's time to get going."

"Okay, thanks…" she answered her mom and turned her head away, trying to hide her cheeks which were blushing furiously. Will took that moment to slide over back to where he was originally sitting, and put some space in between them. They sat in a somewhat comfortable silence, the only thing grabbing their attention being leaves which rolled across the lawn. It was clear that Emma didn't want to take the initiative, so Will took it upon himself to.

"I guess I'll see you later then?"

"Of course," she replied, "How about this evening? I'm sure my mom will let me take a break from unpacking by then."

Both of their faces lit up, but Will's quickly began to dim as he remembered that he already made plans. He cursed himself silently and closed his eyes. His tone was very apologetic and dismayed.

"Emma, I wish I could, but not tonight. I already made plans."

"With who…?" She turned to face Will and saw him staring intently at the ground. At the moment, she waved her hands frantically scolding herself consciously for her curiosity, "I'm sorry, it's none of my business."

Will gulped, "No, it's no big deal. I was just going to the movies with this girl Terri…" His voice faded as it became suddenly uncomfortable to say her name to Emma and he had no clue why. She was his best friend, and he could talk to her about anything, right? Then why did this one thing in particular seem so hard? Through valiant effort, he kept himself from pondering the thought any longer, realizing he wouldn't have an answer.

Emma wished that she didn't even ask. They hadn't talked all summer, and still that last thing she expected to find was that he had a girlfriend. Well, never actually said that, but why should some line like Will not have one? He was the sweetest guy she knew and he deserved. What made her think that she could possibly swoop in and claim his heart, when she hadn't managed to before. It was only fair that she be happy for him.

She looked up at him and smiled, "It's alright, don't change anything because I showed up out of nowhere."

"Seriously, I'd rather hang out with you – like old times."

"Will…" She argued back with a chastising tone and a narrowed brow. Emma didn't know Will didn't mind however – he just thought it was adorable. "It's fine. There's always tomorrow."

He groaned knowing perfectly well that it wasn't fine, but when she got mad he couldn't help but smile and do what she asked just because he wanted to. Emma nudged him playfully on the shoulder before standing up and flattening out her skirt.

"You win. We'll hang out tomorrow though –I promise," The disappointment in his voice was evident, but he didn't care. He didn't want to be a crummy friend; he wanted to be so much more than that. He watched on, now sitting straight up as she approached his door and noticed her lips curve into a smile as she nodded her head.

"See you tomorrow Will."

He smiled softly, "Catch you later Emma."

An indescribable feeling overwhelmed him at the moment. He knew with a certain Emma Pillsbury back in his life, things would be different. Things that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he could tell, because she was different – she was just what he needed, as a friend and more. And as he watched her leave, it became clear that he would never let her out of his life again.