Prologues

The alarm blared and Emma shot up in bed, disoriented. She reached blindly for the clock and slammed the button, knocking the phone off the bed in the process.

Emma frowned. The phone. Will.

She picked it up and held it to her ear, whispering a tentative, "Hello?"

"Geez you get up early," he replied. "I thought it was my alarm for a second."

Emma flushed as his voice carried through the phone, scratchy from lack of use.

"It takes me a while to get ready," she justified as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and pushed herself up. "Go back to sleep."

"Mmkay," he responded.

"I'm hanging up now."

"You are?" he asked, a little more alert.

"Will, I'm going to see you in an hour and a half. Go back to sleep."

"Mmkay," he repeated. "Night."

She laughed. "Goodnight." She hung up the phone and stared at it for a second, shaking her head, before launching into her morning routine.

The ride to school was taking longer than usual. Or perhaps that was just because Emma's anxiety to get there as soon as possible was all she could focus on. She pulled into the parking lot and immediately her eyes searched for the dilapidated blue car.

But he was nowhere to be found. Frowning, Emma put the car into park and nudged the door shut with her hip.

"Hey, Miss P! Good to have you back!" Artie called as he wheeled to the handicap entrance. She waved and headed toward the door.

It was oddly comforting to be back at school, back in her routine. Emma missed the way the halls always smelled like floor cleaner first thing in the morning, and the way the students had learned to give her a wide berth as they passed. It wasn't that they were afraid of her. They had just gotten used to her tendencies. She walked past the Spanish room, disheartened to find the lights still off. She took the roundabout way to her office to pass the choir room and her heart jumped into her throat when she heard music filtering through the cracked door.

Peeking her head in, though, she found only the kids.

"Hi, Miss Pillsbury," Rachel called, halting the music Puck was playing on the piano. Twelve sets of eyes found focus on her and she smiled as she entered the room.

Before she could offer so much as a "hello" in return, questions flew at her faster than she could think: "How's Mr. Schue?" "Is he okay?" "Is he back?" "The sub sucks."

Emma's attention remained focused on Finn, who had uttered the last comment. The tall boy shrugged, "What? He does!"

Emma clasped her hands on front of her. "Yes, Mr. Schuester is back. He's as okay as he can be. And, Finn, I'm sorry the sub sucks."

The final warning bell rang and the students began to gather their things.

"Don't tell Mr. Schue you saw us in here," Rachel pleaded.

Kurt nodded. "It would totally ruin the surprise."

Emma frowned. "What surprise?"

"We prepared a song for him. So shhh." Mercedes held her finger to her lips as the students filed out behind her, leaving Emma alone in the empty room. She retreated to her office and read over the notes from her substitute, Mrs. McAvoy. Rachel had yet another mini-meltdown about the trajectory of her career, Karofsky had been suspended for slamming Kurt into a locker, a freshman cried for some reason and a senior realized two months too late that it was time to apply for college. All in all, a typical day.

A cheer erupted from the direction of the Spanish room and Emma smiled. Will must have arrived. He really was one of McKinley's strongest assets and it was no wonder he had won Teacher of the Year three years in a row. She sighed and surveyed her desk: forms to fill out, recommendation letters to write, and appointments to keep.

Lunch couldn't get there fast enough.

Four hours later, the final bell before break rang and Emma grabbed her lunch to head for the lounge, bobbing and weaving between students as they headed to the cafeteria.

"Emma!"

Emma halted and spun around just in time to see Charlotte launch herself at her. Emma wrapped her arms around the girl's little body and glanced over her shoulder to see Will jogging after her.

"Well, what a nice surprise."

"We're gonna have lunch!" Charlotte smiled a toothy grin at Emma as Will caught up, giving her a sheepish smile.

Neither noticed the looks that the student body was giving them.

"My Dad went to visit some old friends. I think he was getting a bit of cabin fever, even with this fireball as company." He tickled Charlotte and she giggled.

"Since we're three, should we go to my office?" Emma offered.

"Sounds good," Will said as he held up two brown bag lunches.

Emma let Charlotte slide to the ground and the little girl turned to skip down the hall, only to promptly run into a large set of legs. Charlotte looked so far up into the face of Shannon Beiste, she almost fell backwards.

"Whoa."

"Whoa is right," Shannon said as she ruffled the little girl's hair. "And who are you?"

"Charlotte Foster. Will's cousin." she whispered, holding out a tentative hand. Her parents had taught her right.

Shannon raised her eyebrows and gently took the proffered hand. "Shannon Beiste. Football coach." She glanced up and met the amused gazes of Will and Emma. "Emma," Shannon nodded. "Will, I'm so sorry for your loss." She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you," he replied, offering an appreciative smile even as the light left his face.

Shannon walked away as Charlotte stared after her. "She's taller than my Daddy."

"Taller than Will, too," Emma said. Will didn't seem to hear her as he stared at some nondescript point on the wall.

Emma placed a hand on his back as Charlotte glanced between the two adults. "Will, I'm hungry."

Will cleared his throat. "Right, well let's go then." He held out a hand and Charlotte took it. "After all, I did make you the best PB&J in all the land."

"In all the land?" Emma asked.

"In all the land!" Charlotte responded.

"We watched Snow White last night," Will offered by way of explanation.

Emma opened the door to her office and ushered the other two in. "I didn't know Snow White was included in the Bruckheimer repertoire."

Will narrowed his eyes in jest but let the comment pass, busying himself with setting out Charlotte's lunch. He pulled her onto his lap so she could reach the desk.

Will always seemed more comfortable in her office, as if he belonged there, just as he belonged in her car. They were a good fit. Will didn't stand out in his vests and ties as Carl had in his suits and shiny shoes. And Emma didn't like things that stood out – she stood out enough everyday. No, she wanted something that complemented, not complicated. And she and Will fit together like Lincoln Logs.

As she pulled out her grapes, she focused on Will as he handed Charlotte chips, making sure she didn't spill her juice box. He would sneak a bite every now and then before being solely captivated by the child in his arms again.

"So what you think, Charlotte? Best in all the land?" Emma asked.

She shrugged. "I like crunchy peanut butter. Will doesn't like crunchy peanut butter. If it had crunchy peanut butter, it'd be the best in every land."

Emma scrunched up her nose. "I'm afraid I don't like crunchy peanut butter either."

Charlotte nodded. "I know, Will told me. He said that's why he buys the smoothy."

"Smooth," Will corrected, even though he had the look of a man who'd just been found out.

"Oh really?"

Charlotte, having the attention span of a typical four-year-old, had moved beyond the conversation and was busy counting the number of chocolate chips in her cookie, but Emma's focus remained on Will. He seemed to looking anywhere but at her and, had Charlotte not been in his lap, Emma was sure he would have bolted at first chance.

"Sorry," he finally muttered.

"Don't be," she replied. "It's sweet."

"I guess it was just in case, you know, we ever went halfsies again."

Emma bit her lip as a lump became firmly lodged in her throat. In that moment, she wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to tell him that Carl was out of the picture, that she was ready to be with him, to date him, marry him, have his children. Whoa.

Emma slowed down and shook her head. Where had that come from? Sure, she had thought about a possible future with him. It was her favorite daydream before Carl, Shelby, and April came into the picture. But come along they did and that daydream faded into nothingness.

Glancing at the child in his lap, she knew why her subconscious was running amuck. Over the past few days, it had become too easy to pretend that this was the way things should be.

Emma cleared her throat and finally said, "I'll always go halfsies with you."

Will smiled at her and they fell into a comfortable silence again. Emma had resisted the urge to blurt out all that she felt because, the presence of a four-year-old notwithstanding, she didn't want to make the same mistakes as last time. You just left your wife, she had said. But did she listen to her own common sense? Not one bit.

Emma wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. She couldn't handle losing him again.

"Can you do me a favor?" Will asked, bringing Emma out of her internal musings.

"Hm? Oh of course."

"I have to teach this afternoon and, if you don't have any appointments, I was wondering if Charlotte could hang in your office."

"I brought a coloring book," Charlotte said as she munched on another cookie.

"Sure. I'd love to have her."

"Thanks, I'll swing by and pick her up before Glee." The warning bell rang and Will lifted Charlotte off his lap and placed her on the chair. "Gotta go, Squirt," he said, planting a kiss on her head. "Be good for Emma."

"I will," Charlotte sing-songed as she pulled out her crayons.

Emma watched Will's retreating back until he turned the corner. She had wanted to ask him how he was holding up, but the look on his face in the hallway as Shannon had expressed her condolences was all the insight Emma needed.

Charlotte began humming and Emma was brought back to reality. She realized that Will had taken all of the trash with him when left and her heart swelled.

Clearing her throat, she focused on the little girl. "So, what did you and Will and Uncle Jack do last night?"

"I made pasta and we watched Snow White and then I fell asleep. But I woke Will up in the middle of the night because the witch was scary. He told me he'd fight off any witch for me."

Emma smiled. "I'm sure he would."

The rest of the afternoon was spent writing recommendations and trying to color within the lines. When a particularly difficult essay had Emma covering her face with her hands, Charlotte ripped a page out of her book as neatly as possible and handed the princess outline and a purple crayon across the desk without a word.

Emma gratefully took it and began to color, something she hadn't done in years. It was oddly therapeutic and when Will returned for Charlotte, he found them both hunched over the desk, tongues peeking out in concentration, as they brought the flowing dresses to colorful, if not always matching, life.

"Look at my little artists," he said, startling them. His use of 'my' did not go unnoticed by Emma.

Charlotte held up her picture of Belle from Beauty and the Beast: her dress was three different shades of yellow and the crayon zigged and zagged outside of the solid black lines, but Will looked at it as if he had just been handed a Picasso.

"Beautiful, Munchkin."

"It's for you."

Sure enough, it said, "TO: WILL LOVE: CHARLOTTE" in the top left corner. He held his hand to his chest, genuinely touched.

"Thank you, Squirt. I'll hang it in my office." He turned to Emma. "And what about you? Let's see it."

Emma blushed and held up her drawing of Ariel, red hair flaming in her underwater world.

"Equally beautiful," Will replied.

"Liar," she said as she gathered up the crayons. "Glee time?"

"Glee time."

Emma desperately wanted to know what the kids had planned for him so, taking a tentative step forward, she asked, "Can I join?"

"Em, I thought you knew that you've always had an open invitation."

Well, she did now. Emma smiled as Will led the way out of the office and to the choir room. Charlotte grabbed his hand as he opened the door.

The pure joy Emma saw in the glee-clubbers' faces as they greeted their teacher was overwhelming.

"Hey guys," he said, embarrassed by the attention.

Rachel bounced up and handed him a card signed by everyone. "Kurt picked it out, so if you don't like it, it's not my fault."

"Hey." Kurt glared at her.

Will cleared his throat as his eyes scanned the signatures. "I love it, Rach." He looked up at the rest of the group. "Thank you, guys."

"We missed you, Mr. Schue," Finn piped up from the back.

"I missed you guys, too."

Mercedes finally seemed to be the first person to notice the little girl hanging onto Will's right hand. "Uh, Mr. Schue? Is there something you and Miss Pillsbury forgot to tell us?"

"What?" He followed her gaze to Charlotte, "Oh." It took a moment for her meaning hit home and when it did, both Will and Emma's eyes widened.

"No, no." They said at the same time.

Will cleared his throat as Emma clammed up. "She's not… she's not ours."

Emma could tell by the looks on their faces that the kids were aware of that, but it was still fun to see their teachers squirm.

"This is Charlotte. My cousin. She's spending a couple of days with me."

"Hi, Charlotte," the kids chorused as the little girl buried her face in the side of Will's leg, suddenly shy.

"Say 'hi,' Munchkin."

"Hi," came the muffled reply. The kids laughed as Kurt stood and ushered Will and Emma into chairs.

"We have a little something for you."

"Uh oh," Will replied as he pulled Charlotte onto his lap. The kids lined up on stools and, as the opening notes of The Beach Boys' God Only Knows started up, Will reached over and took Emma's hand.

I may not always love you, But long as there are stars above you, You never need to doubt it, I'll make you so sure about it, God only knows what I'd be without you…

As the kids powered through the song, Emma snuck a sideways glance at Will. Tears pooled in his eyes as he pressed his nose into Charlotte's hair. She tightened her grip on his hand as she studied the students' faces. Quite a few of them knew what it was like to lose a parent. Kurt's Mom, Finn's Dad, Rachel's Mom. The pain that they shared with Will vibrated in their voices, letting him know that he wasn't alone.

The song wound down and Will sniffed and ran a hand across his eyes. As the final note faded into the afternoon, he stood and began to clap.

"Guys…" he trailed off, his throat tight. Placing a hand over his heart was the only way to show his gratitude, and Quinn was the first to come forward and wrap her arms around him. The rest of the group followed shortly thereafter, resulting in a giant group hug in the middle of the choir room.

Emma couldn't speak for fear that she would burst into tears. She silently picked up Charlotte and the little girl whispered in her ear, "Why is everyone sad? I thought the song was good."

"Not sad, Munchkin." Emma replied. "Grateful."

"Oh." Charlotte nodded even though a look of confusion was firmly plastered on her face.

The two girls sat to the side as Will and the kids got down to business. During a particularly upbeat number, Will pulled Charlotte off Emma's lap and twirled her around, handing her off to Puck who taught her exactly what it meant to Twist and Shout.

By the end of rehearsal, Charlotte was so exhausted, she had conked out on Will's shoulder as he struggled to hand out sheet music with his one free arm.

The kids chorused various farewells as they exited the choir room and before Emma knew it, she was following Will's car on the way to his house to have dinner with his family. She couldn't even remember agreeing to go in the first place. Some mention of dinner left his lips, a slight question mark at the end, and she found herself nodding even though she had no idea what he had asked.

The trek from the car to his apartment was filled with a now-awake Charlotte describing how she wanted to show Jack her Twist and Shout.

Will put the key in the door and as soon as it swung back, Charlotte was off like a rocket yelling, "Uncle Jack! Lookit!"

Will held onto Emma's elbow as she attempted to pass into the apartment.

"Hang on for a sec."

She looked at him wide-eyed as the door swung shut again with a thunk.

"I just needed a minute before…" he gestured to what lay beyond the door. "I just… I wanted…" Will trailed off, his forehead creased in frustration. "There are so many things I want to say to you."

"I broke up with Carl," she blurted out, her hand flying to her mouth.

"What?" Frustration gave way to shock.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to just… come right out with it."

"But, you broke up with Carl? When?"

Her nose scrunched. "Last night. Before you called."

And shock gave way to worry. "Why didn't you tell me? Are you okay?" He placed his hands on her arms and the urge to cry almost overwhelmed her. Here he was, madly in love with her, and when she tells him what he's probably been waiting months to hear, his first feeling is not love, or victory, or relief, but concern.

Emma nodded and a tear slipped down her cheek. "I'm okay. I know I don't look it, but I really am okay. I have no idea why I'm crying," she trailed off, laughing slightly. She focused on the flickering light at the end of the hall in an effort to control her emotions. She knew if she looked at him, she'd lose it all over again.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out between you two," he said, his sincerity clear.

"I'm not. He was good for me, but… " She tried to find the words, "not the one for me."

The air in the hall was thick and neither dared breathe. Finally, Emma chanced a glance at his face and she saw all of her fears and hesitations echoed there.

"Will, I can't do what we did last time. You just lost your mother, I just broke up with Carl."

"We need to give it time," he said, voicing the thoughts in her head.

"We do." Though her voice was steady, more tears fell, betraying the pain she felt at having uttered those words. They both knew it was for the best. It didn't mean they had to be happy about it.

Will reached up and wiped her tears with his thumb. "We don't have to do dinner, you know."

"No, no! I want to." She sniffed and fanned her face in an attempt to dry her eyes. "I really want to."

He gently blew warm breath across her cheeks to help her efforts. "Better?"

She laughed and nodded, "Better."

He made a move to open the door, but paused, turning back to her. "Can I just…?" He held his arms out and she fell into his embrace, as he gently rocked her back and forth. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to the shell of her ear and quietly hummed, "God only knows what I'd be without you."

She exhaled loudly, closed her eyes, and held on tighter.

Time passed.

Minutes. Hours. She couldn't keep track anymore, not with his arms around her.

Days. Weeks. Jack eventually left, taking Charlotte with him, the faculty stopped treating Will like glass, and Will started smiling like he used to.

Their relationship had not progressed and, oddly, both were okay with that. Will was still finding his footing in a world that was now one parent short and Emma was attempting to progress without Carl there to hold her hand.

She kept thinking back to that day. The day she put Will in a car and drove him to his mother's funeral. She tried to remember the beginning, the first few hours when Will's world fell apart. All it had taken was a phone call. She had been acting on autopilot, on instinct, but when she tried to remember the details, things became more difficult. The way his hand gripped hers while tossing in a fitful sleep; the smile he reserved only for her when the rest of the world gave him pitying glances.

Never once did she ever think that Will would have to return the favor.

And then her phone rang.