Title::..Someone to Watch over Me
Spoilers::..Pilot
Rating::..PG for slight adult themes
Genre::..Drama
Characters::..Emma Pillsbury and Will Schuester, with mentions to some of the other characters
Pairing::..Wilma
Author's Note::...My first stab at writing for Wilma was a part of my ensemble prom-themed fic, this one cuts out everyone else so I can focus purely upon the fluffy delight of Wilma. I've taken this right back to the start of the series, before any of that Emma getting engaged to Ken foolishness!
The title of the fic comes from the song of the same name, from the 1926 musical Oh, Kay! But the version that inspired me for this fic was that of Lady Gaga, she's sung in live a handful of times and she really does a beautiful job of it, along with everything else she sings.
Summary::..There's a somebody I'm longin' to see; Emma waits to see Will walk past her office every day.
Forty-two: Emma reached this count and leant forward over the basin to expel the mouthwash from her mouth. She cleaned the corners of her mouth of excess liquid with her towel, which was quickly returned to its rack and straightened. She gave herself one last look, nodding at her appearance and deeming herself to be ready for school.
She packed the sturdy plastic containers into her handbag and fetched up her car keys. But she couldn't leave the apartment just yet. She did a circle of the house, her heels clicking merrily on the spotless floor as she checked the lock of every window was secured. Satisfied the apartment was safe she collected her bag and headed for the door.
It was always difficult for her to leave her apartment. She felt her house was a sanctuary, the only safe place with food and water after some apocalypse of Michael Bay-proportions had claimed most of the human race. Everything was perfectly controlled in her apartment. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever been fully relaxed, but she felt close to being able to relax when behind the locked door of her home.
Being at school couldn't be more different. Her breathing became shallower simply upon pulling into the parking lot. When arriving in the halls she found she had to stare at her shoes, this was an incredibly rude thing to do and she hated herself for it. But she had to do it. Her shoes were the cleanest things in the school and as long as she looked at them she could keep herself mostly calm. Looking beyond them she would be overwhelmed by all of the messy things and then she would never make it to her office.
Once she reached her office she prepared it for the day lying ahead. She vacuumed the floor, dusted down every surface and ensured each item was sitting in its correct place. Seeing everything so ordered allowed her to feel capable to handle the following six hours.
The first hour and a half passed in the usual way. Principal Figgins came in to greet her and let her know of any new information, which she found difficult to listen to as he tracked oily fingerprints over her desk. Kurt Hummel came in for a quick consultation before taking on the 'Neanderthals' (his word, not hers) of first period. Sue Sylvester stalked past – Emma would have told the cheerleading coach she looked lovely in her light blue tracksuit, if she didn't fear for her life every time she saw the tremendously tall woman. Emma handed out a couple of pamphlets with information regarding personal hygiene to some particularly dirty-looking students loitering outside her office. She had a meeting with some seniors wherein college applications were poured over, possibly her favourite part of working with the students. Then Sue Sylvester stalked by a handful more times, probably looking for students to terrorize.
Emma's day became real when Will Schuester passed by her office. He was leaving the classroom where he taught Spanish, heading for the choir room: following the path she watched him take every day with rapt fascination.
She felt relieved for the lack of students currently in her office, allowing her to watch him completely uninterrupted. The way she felt about Will was an unusual experience for her. She had found it so difficult to find a boyfriend not simply because many men weren't interested in handling her quirks, but her own high standards kept her from finding someone she felt was worthy of her time. Upon looking at a potential male her eye would at once be drawn to the flaws – grime between teeth, a loose thread on the hemming of a shirt and an unshaven face would all send her running in the other direction.
Will had escaped this scrutiny. She had placed him upon a pedestal, allowing his stunning smile and cute chin dimple to blind her eye from all of the imperfections he was only human to possess.
She felt safe in placing him upon this pedestal. His wife and expected baby meant she would always have to hold him at arms-length. Having him this far away restricted her from viewing his defects. She could build him up to be the perfect man and he could never be close enough to ruin this fantasy. It was possible the only reason she was so attracted to him was due to her knowing she could never have him and therefore he could never reject her. While he was just a pleasant idea in her mind he couldn't hurt her and she could love him as recklessly as she wished.
She knew none of her fantasies were ever allowed to transfer into reality, but this didn't mean she couldn't talk with him. At every single opportunity to present itself to her. She practically leapt over her desk in her desperation to reach him. She had already called out his name before she realized she had absolutely nothing to say to him.
He turned around and smiled, as if instantly delighted to see her. "Hey Emma. What's up?"
Shoot, now she had to think of something to say. She began toward him, concentrating on her breathing to ensure she didn't faint. "I just- uh, I just wanted to say good morning."
He chuckled in a non-mocking way that helped calm her somewhat. "Good morning."
"You're heading over to Glee?" She inquired.
After this it seemed she didn't have to say anything to keep the conversation going, he simply wouldn't shut up. She quickly became absorbed in what he was saying; his enthusiasm for the Glee Club was contagious. She felt undeniably turned on by the ferocious passion ignited in him and knew it was altogether impossible for her to look away.
While all of this was going on the status quo of McKinley High continued to play out, but Emma was too enchanted by Will to notice any of this. One of the football players had a full slushie in his hand as he weaved through the crowd, working to overtake a member of the AV Club. Emma dismissed them as nothing more than rowdy students in the hallway. She didn't notice the smaller teenager hide behind her as the footballer came into his sights.
An explosion of bright blue filled Emma's vision. But she didn't assess what had happened until the freezing crystals were dripping down into both cups of her bra. Her lungs had constricted in response to the shock of cold. The world had become still all around her as she struggled to comprehend this turn of events.
Then humiliation spilled into her veins. It was warm, like the tears sliding down her cheeks. The first sound to reach her stunned mind was choked laughter and suddenly she was a high school student again, being endlessly called 'Ginger'. She wanted to crawl underneath her desk where she didn't have to feel the cruel stares of sixty separate pairs of eyes.
"Who threw that? Who?!" Will's voice demanded, so powerful in his fury.
None of the kids answered him, instead muttering amongst themselves. Some were amused while others were shocked. Emma couldn't identify any of them simply from listening to their voices. All she knew was she needed all of them to go away.
A warm hand reached out to grab her forearm. "Emma, are you alright?" She was even more mortified that this had to occur in front of Will. How could he look at her and not see her covered in blue crap ever again? She considered resigning and finding a different school to work in.
"It's okay, we're gonna get you cleaned up." He assured her.
He put his arm around her shoulders and began to guide her out of the puddle of slushie pooled around her favourite shoes. He ordered students to go to their classes as he led her down the hallway. She was surprised her legs were able to function considering how numb her body felt. She kept her eyes shut, clinging to Will as the only thing to keep her upright.
Hit by a Slushie Facial – Emma couldn't think of anything more humiliating to happen to her. Most of the kids she counselled had been targets of this cruel stunt and before now she had found it impossible to know the right thing to say when this topic came up. Perhaps she should feel grateful for this would allow her to relate to those who came to her for help so much better. What a sickening thought.
She was petrified to open her eyes. As soon as she saw it this would become a part of reality, entirely unforgettable. She foresaw herself flinching every time she saw a student holding one of those cups.
The majority of the crystals had been brushed away from her face by an ever-helpful Will. Her hairline glittered from the tiny pieces of slushie still lodged there. Her blouse was ruined, even if she could get the stain out the memories were laid in too deep.
Standing in front of the mirror of the sealed-off locker room she began to undo the buttons of her shirt. The newly-exposed flesh wrinkled into goose-pimples at once. She couldn't recall a time when she had been so ashamed of her reflection. Every bit of her felt as if it were dripping. If she had the strength she would have removed her shoe and forced it into the mirror to distort her reflection, needing part of this nightmare to end.
Looking at the blue cups of her lacy bra (once spotlessly white) she felt she would never be clean or warm again. There would always be food dye beneath her fingernails. It was simply too much to clean. This thought made her feel like lying down upon the ground and crying like a helpless child.
The shower helped somewhat. But she still felt wrong as she pulled on the clean clothes she always kept as an emergency back-up in her office.
There was a soft knock on the door then Will's voice came through, so sincere and caring – how could she not put him on a pedestal?
"You doin' okay in there Emma?" He inquired.
"Not really." She didn't see any point lying.
"I filled out an incident report with Figgins." He continued. "He's going to call an assembly with the kids to see if he can get the issue resolved." She began to the door. "Between you and me, I don't think it'll work but there's no harm in trying, right?"
She pulled the door slightly open, not enough for her head to fit through, but enough for her to be able to see him. He looked at her with wide eyes and she couldn't help wondering if he were studying her for traces of the Slushie.
"Figgins said it was okay if you wanted to go home for the rest of the day. In fact, he suggested it." He informed her.
"That's probably for the best." She said.
"I could go let him know for you." He offered.
"Yes, thanks." She replied.
"Are you okay to get home or…?" He said.
"I should be alright to drive." She stated. "But thank you for offering."
He looked at her with imploring eyes. "Are you sure? Because I don't mind."
"No, it's too much Will. You've done enough and I really appreciate everything you've done, but I can't take any more time out of your day." She said.
She was relieved when he left. It was the first time she had ever been glad to see him leave. She had needed to see the end of the pity in his eyes. Now she could cry shamelessly, cry until it felt better.
After spending fifty minutes in the grip of a cleaning frenzy Emma had finally come to rest on the couch. She had changed her clothes again and taken a very thorough shower. Then she had attacked her apartment, unable to shake her feeling that everything was wrong until almost every object in the house was checked over. She placed herself upon the couch when she simply couldn't do anything more and it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.
She dreamt of the slushie. It came out of the darkness behind her eyelids to strike her. But this time it was solid, hitting her like a slap across the face. Then she was dripping so relentlessly it was as if she had showered beneath the sugary drink. Warped voices reached out for her through the confusion, but all of them failed to make a connection.
The only noise that came through clearly to her was a knocking on the door. She couldn't understand how someone knocking on a phantom door tied in with her standing in the school hall dripping in slushie. What a weird thing to dream about.
She sprung off the couch as quickly as possible after realizing the knocking was not a figment of her imagination. She walked toward the door, struggling to regain her balance at first. She couldn't fathom who would be knocking on her door as she rarely had visitors. She placed her hand upon the knob, but before turning it she sent out a silent prayer for it to not be Ken Tanaka on the other side. She could practically hear his voice (his desperately needy voice) in her mind as she pulled the door inwards.
To her great relief it was Will Schuester standing in the hall of her apartment building. The butterflies broke free of their cage and began to flutter around her stomach at first sight of him. Her knees felt slightly weak while her hands grew clammy. It was almost unfair how cute he was.
She thought this was another part of her dream. This was not the first time she had been visited by this dream. She decided to relinquish all control and allow the dream to take her wherever it pleased. All she could do was smile, marvelling at how very vivid her imagination was.
"Hey Emma, it looks like you're feeling better." He observed.
"Sure." She replied in a breathy voice.
Movement caught her eye as he tucked his left hand into the front pocket of his pants. There, upon his fourth finger, was the proud gleam of his wedding band. She always mentally erased this whenever indulging in a fantasy. Perhaps this wasn't a dream. If she were to conjure him up why would she dress her dream-version in such a hideous vest? Usually when they met up in her dreams he came with his torso entirely uncovered.
"This might sound border-lining on stalker, but I promise it's not. I asked Figgins for your address because I want to check on you." He explained. "I hope that's okay."
It wasn't a dream but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy his company. "Of course it's okay, please come in."
Having Will Schuester in her apartment was much more nerve-wracking than having him in her office. She had gotten used to him popping in to her office and greeting her in the school hallways. But she didn't know what to do with him in her house. There were no silly pamphlets lying around here to use as a tool to break any awkward silences here.
She offered him a drink and when she returned with a glass of water it was to find him looking around the living room. She felt very exposed having him inspecting her perfectly positioned trinkets. What was he thinking as he saw her personal photos?
"This is exactly how I imagined your place." He said.
"Really? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" She asked, unable to keep the anxious tone out of her voice.
"It's good, definitely good." He rushed to explain. "It's cute."
She decided it was very unfair how cute he was as she smiled weakly in response to this.
Of all the times she had imagined having him in her apartment she had never envisioned them sharing a platonic conversation, seated respectfully separate on her couch. But she considered this to be a good thing; she knew how to handle herself when it came to talking to him. Anything else would have left her embarrassingly out of her depth.
At the moment it felt like just talking to him was enough for her.
"I'm really sorry that had to happen to you." He said when he seemed to have run out of things to say about Glee Club. "I mean, it's awful that it happens to anyone to begin with, but especially you."
"Thanks a lot Will." She replied. "I really can't thank you enough for how much you were there for me today."
A long silence followed this wherein each found it difficult to meet one another's eye. Soon after he made an excuse about having a lot of tests to grade and left.
She watched him leave with a building bittersweet tang in her mouth. She considered herself lucky to have such a loyal and caring friend in her life. The landmine of sadness came from the realization that was all he would ever be, no matter how desperately she hoped for it to be otherwise. She reminded herself to be grateful that at least he was in her life.
Terri Schuester was a very lucky woman, she thought, closing the door with a sigh of defeat.
The End.