I'm so sorry this is so short and so late. I promise I'll be more consistent with later chapters - and hopefully they should be a little longer! I've had a very busy (and shitty) couple of weeks, but I'll be back on track soon. Enjoy!

Over the next week, Will was terrified about the next Glee Club rehearsal. All of the kids except Rachel seemed to be really pissed with him, and if he was honest, he thought it was rightly so – if Santana ended up quitting, their chances of reaching nationals would be nil. (And it would be down to him, though he hated to admit it.)

Will was so distracted by his doubts and mixed feelings; he ended up teaching his senior Spanish class the work he'd prepared for his freshmen. He hadn't realised until after, of course, as none of the kids had pointed out his mistake – the work was far too easy for them, it was almost like they had an extra free period. What eighteen-year-old would pass up on a chance for a lesson where they could just sit off?

The day before the rehearsal, Will sat in his office after school, his head in his hands. He couldn't believe how screwed up his emotions were – the most important thing in his life since his divorce was the Glee Club, despite the fact there were certain parts he loved just a little too much, as well as certain parts he might have ruined completely.

"Mr Schuester?" came a soft voice from the door, abruptly awakening him from his thoughts. Will looked up to see Rachel Berry standing in the door frame, a bright yellow folder clasped tightly to her chest.

Of all the people who could turn up at his office, it was her who had decided to pay him a visit. Will wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. One the one hand, Rachel, his Rachel, was standing in the door, and she was the girl with whom he wanted to spend all his time with lately. On the other… well, if he did ever allow himself to spend time with her, there was always the risk of him pushing boundaries. He didn't know how much he could handle yet.

"Hi, Rachel," he said with a smile, motioning for her to come and sit opposite him. "How can I help?"

She smiled earnestly at him as she sat down. "Well, it's this," she said, putting down her folder on the desk in front of him.

Forcing himself to act naturally, Will opened the folder carefully. "Bleeding Love? As in Leona Lewis, Bleeding Love?" he said, as he read the title of the sheet music.

Rachel nodded. "I was wondering if you stay behind with me, to rehearse this song for tomorrow. I feel kind of guilty about last week – you know, with Santana…" she trailed off a little, and looked at her knees. "So I figured a killer performance just might make things up to my fellow Glee Clubbers." Will noticed how strong her voice was, even when she was obviously a little upset. He admired her so much for little things like that.

Will nodded. He knew exactly how he felt, even he was certain she had nothing to be sorry for. "I've never needed to help you with a song before. And if I'm honest, this song isn't particularly challenging for you – it's well within your range." He paused, searching for the right words. "Are you sure you really – um – need me, Rach?" he stammered.

Rachel looked at him, wide-eyed. "Well, yeah. I could use your… expert opinion," she said with a delicate laugh. "Is that not OK?"

Will shook his head furiously. "No! No, that's not what I meant at all. But you're so much better at this than me, Rach. You don't need my help."

Rachel forced a smile. It would have been obvious to a complete stranger that she was hurt – Will was blowing her off for no good reason, and he felt bad. But he didn't know how he would handle the situation. He might overstep the mark, do something he would regret. What if he said something inappropriate? Anything could just slip out, especially in such a candid setting, and she could pick up on it. Maybe he would hug her, or something, in the heat of the moment – or what if he kissed her? What if he couldn't control the urge to lean over and –

"Well thanks, I guess, Mr. Schue… Do you mind if I use the auditorium to practise anyway?" Rachel said timidly, hurriedly taking back her sheet music and staring at her lap.

Will couldn't help himself. "I'll meet you there in five minutes, OK? Just let me finish up here."

Rachel looked up instantly, and Will's heart soared as he saw her beam. She was so beautiful when she was happy. She was beautiful when she was sad and angry, too. (Hot, even.)

"Thank you so much Mr. Schue!" she grinned, rushing out of his office. "I'll see you down there, I should be set up by the time you're ready. I'm so excited, I love this song…"

Will could hear her babbling to herself even as she sped away.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Will let out a groan. It was going to be a tough couple of hours, and he was fully aware of that – but she was irresistible. No matter how creepy his crush was, there was no use trying to control it. Rachel Berry was just… enticing. Alluring. Everything about her was just tempting, and not just in a sexual way (although, good God, was she sexy).

Will put his head down on his desk with a thump. He forced himself to think of Sue Sylvester.

Sue Sylvester murdering a kitten.

Sue Sylvester murdering a bag of kittens.

Sue Sylvester murdering a bag of kittens with a chainsaw.

Sue Sylvester murdering a bag of kittens with a chainsaw and wearing spandex.

Yeah. That would just about do it.

Taking a deep breath, Will stood up and headed towards the auditorium.

This is was so not going to go well.