A/N: So this idea has been playing in my mind for a little while now, and while I was only planning on making the idea a one-shot, I think I have an idea of where I could take this. I spent a couple hours on this today (and I'm already working on chapter 2) as opposed to writing the two papers I need to submit by Friday, ha. But this is way more fun to write, especially because I've been in need of some Wemma since I'm still (like you all probably are, too) anticipating RHGS and particularly "Touch-A Touch-A." I really hope that whole scene isn't another fantasy thing a la "Like A Virgin" -.-

Anyway, I'm ranting :P I hope you guys enjoy this! Feel free to leave me reviews as to what you'd like to see in the future, I'll do my best to incorporate it :) -Natalie

If avoiding was an art form, Will Schuester would be the Da Vinci of our time.

He stood from the chair behind his desk, haphazardly stuffing a handful of sheet music inside his bag, as he checked his watch and yawned loudly.

The glee club was approaching Sectionals again so late nights had become routine, but if he was honest with himself, it was also part of his carefully drawn-out plan to avoid Emma at all costs.

He sighed lightly, pulling the strap of his bag up over his shoulder. It had been almost a month since Carl had confronted him "bro to bro" and told him, essentially, that he needed to back off of Emma. He knew it was fair, as she had never once tried to compromise his relationship with Terri, and the few times they had come close, she was the one to stop it. As much as it hurt to admit, he knew that her relationship with Carl was just as real as his had been with Terri, and he owed it to her to back down for a bit.

He had considered giving up on her entirely, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. She had waited for him for so long, and now, he figured, it was his turn to wait.

Will shut off the light in his office and made his way out into the silent corridor. He hated being here so late; at night the school was eerie and a little too quiet for his taste, but it was definitely more comfortable than going home to an empty apartment and spending the evening wallowing in heartbreak.

His steps were fast, as thoughts of every horror movie he'd ever seen flashed through his mind. He knew it was kind of silly for a 30 year old man to be afraid of a serial killer appearing in an empty school hallway, but hey, it's not like there was anyone around to judge, so he quickened his pace.

Will turned, making his way towards the front of the school. He had almost reached the double doors when something made him stop in his tracks. A sob…and then a sniffle echoed lightly throughout the hallway. He frowned and checked his watch again. Who else would be here? Figgins? Sue?

His brow furrowed as he cautiously walked back the way he had just come, and then his eyes widened as he realized where the sound was coming from.

Emma, his mind hissed.

He all but ran to the door to her office. The blinds were closed, as they were every afternoon when she left, but the door was open. He stepped inside quietly and swore he felt his heart broke all over again.

Her face was buried in her hands, sobs wracking her body violently. She sat, slumped, on the floor, her legs tucked under her, her back resting against the metal filing cabinet.

"Emma?" he questioned softly, taking another small step forward.

Her head shot up instantly and she stared at me with wide eyes. "Will."

"I…what are you doing here? It's late," he said, not daring to move any closer.

She shook her head and pushed herself up from where she was sitting, too distraught to even care about the germs. He watched as she walked to the other side of her office, grabbing a tissue from a box placed on the shelf behind her desk.

"N-nothing, I came to pick up some…files," she answered lamely, wiping her damp cheeks and grimacing at the napkin that had cleaned up most of her running mascara.

His face contorted into confusion and hurt as he watched her fidget nervously, pretending to gather a few stacks of paper. There was a time—what felt like eons ago –when he was the first person she would talk to about anything. Now she had Carl for that.

Carl, he thought with a frown.

Will's face reddened with anger at the thought of Carl hurting Emma. Clenching his jaw tightly and swallowing back a wave of fury as his mind started racing, he walked towards her.

"Emma?"

She avoided his gaze as she continued to open drawers and grab papers, stacking them on her desk. He made his way to the front of her desk, and then to the side, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Em, please. What's wrong?"

She flinched slightly at his touch and took a step back, knocking over the pile of papers she'd been – for once – carelessly placing on her desk. Her body shook slightly with more tears as she bent down awkwardly in her skirt to retrieve the loose papers.

Ignoring the rejection he felt to her reaction to his touch, Will stooped down to help her. He heard her cursing quietly under her breath and he couldn't help the tiny smirk that made its way onto his lips…until she turned slightly and he saw fresh tears streaming down her gorgeous face.

They both stood and he grasped her upper arm gently. "Emma…"

She finally faced him fully, and he felt tears pricking his eyes at the sight. Her chin was quivering, her eyes swollen and red, she was biting her lower lip gently, and her cheeks were stained with tears and eye make-up. Their eyes met and he felt her crumble in his arms as a sob escaped her lips.

Will pulled her tightly to him, one hand tangled in her hair, the other pressed firmly on her lower back. She cried loudly, furiously, against his chest, her hands balling up his cardigan roughly. He shut his eyes and pulled her tighter against me.

He loved the way she felt in his arms. There had only been a handful of times where he had gotten to relish the way her body felt pressed up against his, and as guilty as it made him feel benefitting from her pain, Will had to say, he was enjoying the closeness.

They stood there together for a while—exactly how long? he wasn't sure; a sense of time always seemed to escape him when they were together—until her loud sobs turned into quiet sniffles.

Emma pulled away from him slightly, and he slowly guided her down to her chair. She slumped back against it, exhausted. He squatted down before her, hesitating before placing his hands on her knees.

"Sorry about that," she said softly.

He opened his mouth to question her, when she motioned to his sweater with a sheepish smile. Will pulled it away from his chest with one hand to get a better look at the now-wet area, and shrugged.

"It's alright," he said, returning her small smile.

He noticed her body tense again and he frowned. "Em…what's going on?"

Her eyes met his, briefly, and then she turned away.

"Please, Emma," he pleaded, reaching up to brush her bangs out of her face before he could think twice. "It kills me seeing you like this."

Her tongue darted out to lick her lips. "I—"

"Is it Carl?" Will blurted out untactfully. "Because, I swear, if he hurt you, I'll—"

He stopped, noticing her angry glare. He removed his hands from her knees and stood, staring at the floor.

So it wasn't Carl, he thought, feelings of disappointment drowning out his confusion.

"You think Carl's the only reason I would have to cry?"

He looked up, startled by her question. "I… No, I just thought—"

"You thought what, Will?" Emma pushed herself up from her chair, taking a step towards him. "That the only important thing in my life is my boyfriend, and I'm so shallow that I don't care about anything else, anyone else?"

His eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, no… Emma, that's not what I meant. I just—"

"You thought that the reason I was crying had to be about Carl because no one else means anything to me? Is that it?" she asked menacingly, her eyes glazed over with a fresh set of tears.

Again, he shook his head. "Emma, no… I guess I jumped to conclusions, I'm sorry. I don't think you're shallow, or that you don't care about anyone else. I just wanted to help… really."

Her eyes softened slightly, but before she said anything, she turned away from him.

"Em?" Will reached out, touching her wrist gently, ignoring the spark he felt run through his veins. "Please, let me help you. I want to help."

He carefully wrapped his hand around her wrist, tugging lightly, willing her to face him again. She turned slowly on her heels, biting her bottom lip, her eyes glued to the floor.

"He's all I had, Will."

Will frowned, confused. "Carl?" She shot up an angry glare at me and he quickly apologized.

She didn't say anything for a few moments, gathering up her nerve to finally tell him what was making her so upset. Will took the opportunity to slide his hand into hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. She leaned her back against the wall and slid down slowly, still holding onto his hand. He almost didn't hear when she finally uttered…

"Daddy."

He blinked a few times, opening and closing his mouth, at a loss. "Em, I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

Her eyes were transfixed on a spot on the horribly-chosen speckled tile between them. "He stopped to help a driver on the side of the road… the guy needed a jump…"

His thumb ran in gentle circles against her hand, encouraging her to continue. He watched as she fidgeted in her seat, quickly brushing away the tears that had escaped yet again.

"Daddy went to get the cables from his trunk," she paused, her voice cracking slightly. "And when he turned around, the guy had a gun pointed to his head."

Emma shut her eyes tightly, several tears streaming down her face. Will reached over and brushed them away with his thumb, letting it linger on her cheek for slightly longer than necessary.

"The doctor called me because Mama's too sick to understand, and I couldn't bear to just be at home. I drove for hours, going everywhere…going nowhere," she paused, letting out a bitter laugh. "But I can't…"

He looked at her, confused. "You can't what?"

"I-I just can't, Will."

"Baby, you can't what?"

They both paused at his slip of the tongue, brown eyes locking with hazel. He braced himself for another harsh glare, but instead she smiled softly, which he instantly found himself returning.

Her face dropped slightly as she continued. "I can't tell Mama. I can't go back there…"

Will was certain he wouldn't have heard the next thing she said if it hadn't been for their close proximity.

"I can't break her heart."

Emma's body shook again with sobs and he leaned forward, pulling her towards him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the junction where his neck met his chest. He rocked her back and forth lightly, whispering anything—and nothing, really—in her ear.

After several tearful minutes, Emma pulled away from Will and leaned back against the wall, running a shaky hand through her hair. "I don't know what to do, Will."

"I think," he paused, leaning against the wall as well, before quietly continuing. "I think you know exactly what you have to do."

She looked over at him for a few moments and nodded slightly. "Mama needs me," she said more to herself than to him.

Will smiled slightly and draped his arm over her shoulders, pulling her to his side. He was grateful when she rested her head on his shoulder, and he grinned when he felt her sigh quietly.

"Come with me."

It was Will's turn to pull away from her. He glanced down at the red-head, a little surprised by her proposition. She looked up at him with nervous eyes, but beyond the nerves, Will saw, was a glimmer of hope.

"I… If you really want me to go," he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I'm here for you one hundred percent, Em..."

They sat in an awkward silence. Emma slumped down slightly against the wall, before looking back up at him.

"But?"

Will's brow furrowed. "What?"

"You're here for me one hundred percent, but what?"

Will shut his eyes briefly, before opening them and meeting her gaze. "But wouldn't you rather take Carl?"

Emma opened her mouth, then closed it…then opened it again. "I- I didn't even think about that."

Will couldn't help the small feeling of victory in his mind knowing that she hadn't even remembered her dentist boyfriend, but he nodded, realizing that going with Emma back home to Virginia probably wasn't the best idea, as much as he wanted to be there for her.

"I think I'll go on my own," she said softly.

He looked at her sympathetically. "Are you sure, Em? It might be better for you to have someone there with you; to support you and help you make funeral—"

Will stopped immediately, noticing Emma's widened, teary stare. "Oh God, Emma, I'm sorry. I wasn't—"

She waved him off and smiled sadly at him. "It's okay, Will, I know what I'm going home to."

He sighed and tucked her bangs behind her ear. "If you really want me to go, I can," he stopped, thinking quickly. "I can probably ask Rachel to just take over Glee for a week or so. The kids already know the routine, they just need to keep rehear—"

"I totally forgot about Sectionals," Emma said suddenly, her eyes wide. "Oh, no, Will, you have to stay here. Those kids need you."

He eyed her, knowing she was right, but not quite willing to concede yet.

"Really, Will. My sister and her husband will be around, and my brother's still serving his extended tour, but his wife and kids are flying in, I think. I-I can do—" she paused after her quick ramble, exhaling slightly. "I can do this on my own."

Will nodded once again, sadly realizing he didn't really know as much about Emma as he thought he did, and checked his watch. Pushing himself up from the floor and his thoughts behind, he extended a hand to Emma. She smiled lightly and took his hand, allowing him to pull her up.

They stood closer than they had in a long time—excluding the embraces they had just shared—and Will felt his breath hitch in his throat as he looked down at her. Her breath felt warm on his face and her chest was a mere inch or two from pressing against his. Will found himself biting the inside of his cheek, trying desperately to resist the urge to kiss her.

"I guess…" Emma trailed off, her glance shooting down to his lips for a moment. Will smirked a little realizing she was as nervous as he was. "I guess I should go...book a flight and pack and," she paused again, and Will couldn't help but be reminded of that evening in the science room when he had conducted his "experiment" on her.

Will smirked at the memory and nodded at her. "Yeah, um," he fumbled verbally. "If-if you need anything, feel free to call me."

Emma gulped and nodded. "Yeah."

"Yeah."

They stood before each other, gazing in silence. Will felt Emma's hand sneak into his and he squeezed it lightly. Quietly, they gathered their things, shut off the light, and made their way out of Emma's office hand in hand.

Will inwardly groaned as they reached her car, parked two spaces away from his, knowing that this very well could be the last time he held her hand. He watched as she placed her purse in her car, wishing she would move slower so their moment would last longer.

Before he knew it, she turned, and faced him once more, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Thank you, Will" she whispered, leaning up to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

Will stopped breathing, his face suddenly flushed, the skin where her lips had touched seemingly burning. He had no words, and simply nodded, backing away from her car as she stepped inside and pulled out of the parking lot.

It was only then that Will began breathing again, his eyes fixated on the spot where her car had just been. He closed his eyes, hoping he would hear from her soon, and more than anything, hoping that she would be okay.

A/N: I haven't even proofread this since I'm so anxious to post it, so please excuse any errors on my part :B

Review :D?