"Bricks":

CHAPTER VIII:

A knock on Will's door interrupted Rachel's dreams. It was a little past noon and they were still in bed, recovering from their private "I love you celebration" after their phone call with Santana. She sat up and huffed in annoyance while Will was just starting to open his eyes.

"I bet this is your neighbor or her unashamed daughter," Rachel said complaining.

"They will leave, Rach," Will said still a little groggy, reaching his hand out to grab her wrist. "Let's stay here a bit longer."

"You do that; I'll get the door." Rachel kissed him quickly and freed her wrist. "What they are doing is practically harassment." She jumped out of bed.

"Hey, I can have stalkers too," Will grinned, and Rachel narrowed her eyes in response. He had chosen the wrong time to joke.

"Absolutely not," Rachel stared at him seriously.

"I was kidding, Rach. Don't go, please?" he sat up.

Rachel was clearly upset and opted not to listen to him, instead she headed towards the door. She knew exactly how she looked and was going to use it to her favor. As if wearing Will's shirt and nothing else wasn't enough, she ran her hands through her hair and messed it up further, then pushed it to the side to expose her neck and showcase the hickey Will had given her. She smiled at her own actions; the very idea of putting on another show for either of the women was thrilling. Rachel opened the door, smiling. She was right, Lisa Montgomery was in front of the door.

"Good afternoon," Rachel said in a cheerful tone, "what can I help you with?" Lisa looked at Rachel up and down. She was obviously expecting Will to get the door.

"Um, we ran out of milk, and I was wondering if we could borrow some from Will," Lisa said taken off guard. Rachel rolled her eyes again.

"I'm very sorry but he doesn't have any milk at all. He is on a vegan diet now," Rachel said, trying not to giggle as she heard Will's loud laughter coming from the bedroom.

"Oh, he didn't seem like the type." Lisa crossed her arms, for some strange reason the women wasn't leaving. Rachel shook her head.

"Excuse me?"

"He doesn't look like a vegan to me. Veganism is unhealthy and he looks healthy," Lisa smiled, knowing she was probably striking a chord.

"Don't you worry. He's completely healthy; he is in perfect shape and has a lot of energy," Rachel smirked. "More than one would imagine," she emphasized.

"Good to know," Lisa retorted.

"Is there anything else you need?" Rachel was enjoying this game but at the same time, she really hated that woman and needed her gone.

"No, I guess I'll ask someone else; sorry for bothering you."

"I guess you have to ... it's a pity we can't help you. Have a nice day." Rachel said and then proceeded to close the door in Lisa's face. "Skank," she mumbled.

Laughing uncontrollably, Will walked in Rachel's direction holding a robe in his hands. Truth be told, Rachel's jealousy was both profoundly flattering and comic.

"I'm on a vegan diet?" he asked handing her the piece of clothing. "That was a nice touch, Rach."

"I know." She put the robe on smiling as he checked her out. "I hope she learned her lesson and stays far, far away from your door. Or else. I mean, milk? Milk, Will? What was that? A spin of borrowing sugar? That has to be the oldest trick in the book!" Rachel said before realizing the way he was looking at her. "What?"

Will moved closer and tightened the knot of the robe, then placed his hands on her hips as Rachel's eyes were following his actions. She knew Will was nurturing and caring; she had always been aware of that fact but the way he cared about her and how he made a point to show it every step of the way fascinated her. William Schuester was a man with good manners, a complete gentleman, and above all things her boyfriend.

"You are a vision." Will stepped closer and kissed her nose causing Rachel to automatically wrap her arms around him in a hug.

"We both look like a mess, Will." Rachel sank her head in his chest and inhaled his scent.

"A beautiful one, though," He added.

"Mhm. By the way, did you change your cologne? This robe smells like the old you, not like..." Rachel was interrupted by Will's laughter, "Why are you laughing?"

"The old me?" Will raised an eyebrow.

"Well, there isn't an old you because you are not old, that is not what I meant, but ... am I crazy? You didn't change your cologne?" Rachel tilted her head in confusion.

"I did, you are not crazy. Are you hungry?" Will turned and headed to the kitchen. Rachel smiled.

"Did you change it for me?" She caught up with him, who could see the curiosity in her eyes.

"Maybe," Will smiled gingerly.

"You totally did!" Rachel bumped his arm with her shoulder. "That is so romantic," she smiled.

Rachel was taking a shower while Will was doing his best to prepare lunch for the both of them. She still couldn't believe anything that had happened. The night before, breakfast, talking to Santana, the exchange of I love yous, the charade with Lisa ... and now she was in his shower! Rachel was in her BOYFRIEND'S shower! She had a boyfriend! Her ex teacher! The petite brunette had no idea how that was so outrageous after being in his bed, yet she couldn't push the thought away. There was a weird sense of commitment and something else she couldn't place. It wasn't doubt or fear, but something felt out of place. Emotions started to mix. As great as Rachel had felt with Will and even though she had no idea how she was ever going to leave his apartment, something was telling her to be careful. Maybe the walls she had set up so high and he had easily climbed were still there somehow, or maybe there were some bricks still around...

She knew she loved him. The question was how that had happened; it was obviously too soon for love. In fact, it may have been too sudden for anything to start between them. The time for affection to transform into infatuation had accelerated and she hadn't had a say in that matter, that had her wondering if terminal velocity had something to do with them falling this hard, this fast. He was bringing out a side of her she didn't really know was there in the first place. Rachel wondered if he felt the same way, and it scared her that he might. She also questioned if she knew him well enough to have all these feelings for him, but what seemed more important at the time was the notion that she loved what she knew and she couldn't wait to discover what she didn't.

Will was a good cook but having Rachel there was unexpected and, until now, he had never considered how difficult it was to feed a vegan. Not wanting to disappoint her with a simple salad, he looked online and ordered vegan pizza, then made a mental note to buy products she could eat. Will knew it probably wasn't necessary to try to woo Rachel at this point, yet he wished to. He wanted to romance her the way she deserved. To conquer her even if she was no longer a conquest. He still longed for her to be his challenge. Loving Rachel Berry had been the easy part after all. As a matter of fact, it had been so effortless that he never wanted the spell to break. He longed for the last twenty-four hours to be just a small sample of the potential they had.

The pizza arrived soon after Will had showered and Rachel had set the table. Lunch was pleasant and easy. As flirty and touchy-feely as Will and Rachel now were, they were still able to eat and talk. They pushed each others buttons often and they enjoyed that. It was part of their dynamic; it had always been. Perhaps that was one of the reasons they felt there was something truly organic about the way they interacted. They didn't hold back, they respected one another and they could just talk for hours and never be bored. This was really starting to feel like a relationship for both of them. Sure, it had all been abrupt in a way but they just fit. It worked and there was no way around it. Practice was beating theory's ass. Yet Rachel had too many questions in her head and she couldn't lay them to rest.

"I need to ask you something," she said, then drank some water.

"Ask away," Will replied as his curiosity spiked.

"What was, of all my performances, the one you loved the least?" she smiled. Rachel was convinced he had been proud of her whole body of work, but she still had to know.

"'Push It' was an unpleasant surprise, Rach," he laughed while she was scanning his eyes. "But I have to go with 'Pretending'." Will looked down. He shouldn't have said that at all and he knew it, but he couldn't lie to her.

"For what it's worth, I do regret that kiss. I saw how disappointed you were and I never said anything because, well, I had no excuses really." Rachel expression saddened noticeably.

"It's all right, Rach," he tried, in vain, to smile.

"Is it?" She could detect there was something off.

"Yes. I wasn't disappointed. I ... It wasn't your fault." Will took her hand from across the table.

"It sort of was; we didn't place ... you don't have to protect me from the truth. I know I blew it." She intertwined her fingers with his.

"Ok, yes. But that is not what you saw," Will sighed. He couldn't believe after all those years, he was going to admit this in front of her. He was even surprised he was saying it out loud. He had buried that memory and the feelings that came with it.

"Then what did I misread? Were you sad?" Her eyes showed concern; she could see there was a partially unhealed wound of Will's she had just thrown salt in.

"I was frustrated," he said, letting go of the emotional baggage that moment conveyed. "When Jesse sat next to me that day because he couldn't stay away from you, I realized how lucky I was that I didn't have to be away from you myself. Yet I couldn't ... that scared me." Will closed his eyes for a second. Memory lane was a hard pill to swallow after vegan pizza.

"You are saying..." The question died in her lips, Rachel started to feel overwhelmed by what she had accidentally discovered.

"Yes, that's exactly what I meant. Then Finn kissed you." Will let out a breath he had been holding.

"What would have happened if he hadn't?" her voice trembled.

"I honestly don't know. I don't think I would have ... I don't think we ... you were my student." He was actually starting to feel like he had back then: completely insecure.

Rachel knew she had to change the subject; this was too much for both of them. True, she was giggling inside. This confession made her realize maybe what they were now wasn't so out of the blue, but questioning what could have been wasn't really helping.

"It wasn't even that good of a kiss," she smiled, "Finn was scared and I was taken by surprise." Rachel paused. "On the other hand, 'Push It' was genius. I shouldn't have gone behind your back but I needed to make a point," Rachel shrugged.

"That was too radical for me, Rach." Will took the detour she had offered them both.

"Funny you say that. It was your idea to do 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' and it didn't ultimately happen, but with Sam afraid to do the part, you and I would have ended up doing 'Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me'. If that isn't radical, I don't know what is." Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"You thought about that?" Will laughed mischievously.

"I can't either confirm nor deny that. It didn't happen." Rachel replied giving away a big fat yes.

"That might have been a blessing in disguise," he retorted.

"I can't say I can argue with that," Rachel nodded. Yes, Sherry had been there long before they would like to admit it. The challenge had always been there. In a strange way they were an unfinished business. A "what if" that lasted years.

"Do you have any other sizzling questions fro me, Ms. Berry?"

"Yes." Rachel had a list actually, but she had to prioritize. "Was dinner at my apartment a date, Will? I didn't plan it to be one but ... I don't know. I guess I'm trying to make some sense of everything."

"I don't think it was. Even if we now feel it was. We were just hanging out. And feelings surfaced." He stood up and took their plates to the kitchen.

"What about last night? Was that a date? Did we sleep together on our first date?" Rachel was starting to realize the rapidity of things. Sensing what she meant, Will laid the plates in the sink, practically jogged to where she was and brushed her hair.

"Breath, Rach. I'm going to take you out on a real date," he said locking eyes with her. "We may be doing everything out of order but we will do everything."

"Deal." She took his hand and stood up. "Now we should get more proactive." Rachel kissed him quickly and they both walked to the couch, where they sat in front of the laptop placed on his coffee table.

They looked at casting calls for almost two hours and selected a couple for each of them. Will and Rachel had two weeks before classes began, so they had to make the most of it. Rachel was actually convinced they had great chances at being called to participate in Law & Order; she knew every actor in New York had made an appearance on that show and she wanted them to try. Will, of course, laughed at her reasoning, even though she had a point.

While Rachel was passionately stating that they would be assets to any and every production out there, Will decided to lay down on the couch, his mind was drained from the audition hunt. Seeing him getting comfortable, Rachel decided she should lay down as well, so they cuddled in the couch as she kept going on and on about how fast their careers would take off once producers and directors knew them. At that point, Will was so sleepy he agreed with everything she said.

"I know you are not paying enough attention," Rachel said tracing idle patterns on his arm. Will didn't reply, he just puller her closer and kissed her. "Now you are deflecting."

"I'm not, Rach," he laughed. "This couch isn't big enough for both of us, we have to spoon or you'll fall..."

"Right ... so you do agree Matrix the Musical is an option for you?"

"Well, I'm not convinced yet. It sounds a bit absurd," he replied, sliding his hands under her shirt and stroking her sides.

"Fine, it is a rather dangerous concept, especially for an Off-Broadway show, but I still believe you don't have anything to lose by auditioning." Rachel closed her eyes feeling his hands gracing her skin. "Promise me you will consider it."

"Ok," he said kissing her neck.

"But you have to attend to the Dr. Horrible audition first; that one looks very interesting." Rachel was trying to make him agree since she sensed he wasn't going to deny her anything. If he was going to get his way with her, she was going to make sure to get things done her way as well.

"I will, but now I'm trying to make you relax." Will threw his leg over hers and brought Rachel closer to him. She gasped as soon as she came in contact with his arousal.

"You need boundaries, Will," Rachel said laughing.

"Are you complaining?" he replied, cupping her breasts.

"Not exactly, but we do need to get on track with our schedules," Rachel said trying not to gasp. She wasn't going to let her focus falter because of his touch. "And we need to get out eventually."

"Not right now," he whispered in her ear. "It's our honeymoon phase, Rach," Will said before kissing her languidly but just as their make out session was becoming more hot and heavy someone knocked the door, destroying the moment.

"Ok, speaking of boundaries ... she's going to listen to me this time." Rachel pushed Will away and jumped from the couch, before going to get the door. Will followed her this time. He sensed his girlfriend would slap the person knocking on his door.

"Don't get it," he whispered to her ear. Rachel cut him off by kissing his neck as she quickly started to unbutton his shirt.

"Rach what are you doing? Boundaries..." He couldn't continue with that sentence; Rachel was kissing his neck more aggressively now, sucking and biting and he wasn't that sure he wanted her to stop. "Oh Lord..."

"Against the door, NOW! I want her to hear us." She looked into his eyes. His pupils were reacting to her actions and her own eyes were filled with want.

"Rach I don't think..." Will tried in vain to stop her, but Rachel wasn't going to give him a break, nor was she letting him speak since she was now claiming his lips hungrily. He knew this was crazy yet he couldn't process a single thought at the time.

"Don't argue with me," Rachel said between kisses while she pressed her back against the door and brought him closer.

"But this..." Rachel opened his fly not listening to his futile attempt to cool things down.

"Don't you want me, Will?" Rachel pouted while she took his hand and placed it on her breast, he closed his eyes and squeezed it gently.

"Oh, what the hell," he groaned and gave in. A smile formed in Rachel's lips. She had made Will Schuester surrender; she had power over him. That very thought was heating her blood even more.

Will pushed Rachel against the door while he kissed her roughly. While their tongues were battling and their breathing became erratic, he placed a hand behind her head and the other traveled from her chest to her legs. As soon as he stroked Rachel's thigh, she got the hint and proceeded to wrap one of her legs around his waist while she used the other to keep some balance.

"You drive me crazy." He said gasping for air.

"I'm taking that as a compliment for the time being." Rachel replied bracing herself by grabbing his shoulders before kissing him once again.

Will's ability to form words was gone, the air was thickening around them; lust was taking over what little restrain he had left. He pushed her panties to the side and in a second, without doubt, hesitation or any kind of preamble, he was inside of her.

Rachel cried out when he started moving, on this occasion he didn't give her time to adjust to his size. Will was too turned on to slow down. Her hands were gripping his shoulders strongly as the hand he had between her legs flew to her lower back, bringing them closer, bringing him deeper. He was trapping her with his body and yet he was protecting her head from hitting the door.

It was hard and fast, loud and delicious. They both ended up panting against the door, smiling like idiots into each other's necks until they started laughing. Will looked into Rachel's eyes and let her down slowly not breaking eye contact; they had the same mischievous look.

"Why did you let me do that? Why didn't you stop me? Will!" Rachel said, realizing they had been partners in a very sexy crime: they had became exhibitionists in a way.

"Are you kidding me? You were ... persuasive. And I'm only human..." he shrugged, still trying to breathe normally.

"I guess I was quite forceful. You couldn't resist ... I still can't believe we did that! I felt possessed by desire all of the sudden and..." Rachel trailed off as she was watching him fix his clothes. "Oh my Jewish God! Do you think she heard?"

"Rach, the whole neighborhood heard that," he laughed.

"Well, we have a healthy libido. Your neighbors should be jealous." Rachel fixed Will's collar. "And by the way, that was amazing." She winked. "You were on fire."

"Mhm," Will kissed her. "So were you."

"Are you two done?" Mrs. Montgomery said from the other side of the door.

"She's still there!" Rachel whispered. "Wow." She sunk her head on his chest and giggled. Will wrapped his arms around her and started to silently laugh as well.

"I can hear you ... so do my kittens..." Said the neighbor, who, strangely, wanted to have some sort of conversation with the couple.

"Kittens?" Rachel smiled fixing her clothes.

"Yes, dear, kittens."

Rachel turned still enveloped in Will's arms and opened the door. Will would have tried to stop her but he was still coming to his senses and she was actually fast at opening the door. Rachel was always going to sneak up on him, he realized.

"Well, hello," Mrs. Montgomery said smiling at them.

"Hi," Rachel and Will said at the unison.

"My husband and I used to be like that," the old lady stated confusing them as to what she meant exactly. Was it them saying the same word simultaneously or what she had just heard them doing? Rachel blushed and Will tightened his arms around her feeling he needed to protect her from the scrutiny. She looked at him briefly and placed her own hands over his on her stomach.

"You said you have kittens?" Will said changing the topic. The women just nodded, still watching them and how their bodies were connected.

"Aw, Will, kittens! Are they cute Mrs. Montgomery?" Rachel was starting to relax.

"Why don't you come and see them. I was wondering if you would like to adopt one." Will and Rachel exchanged a look, then smiled to one another. It was amazing how they read each other. Will let go of her and took his keys from the door. He locked the apartment, took Rachel's hand in his and they followed the old lady.

Mrs. Montgomery had all kinds of pets. Oscar was the only dog, but there were birds, exotic fish, rodents they didn't know existed, and even a few spiders. Will's neighbor was clearly an interesting person.

As Will and Rachel walked through the apartment, Rachel was feeling dirty and sexy. Her mind was still attempting to process what she and her boyfriend had done. She never thought anyone would elicit her in such a way. Then she looked at Will and noticed he was lost in thought as well. He had never behaved so recklessly either. As if they knew what the other was thinking, they shared another smile and he tightened his grip on her hand. The whole scene was colorful, first sex virtually in front of an elderly women, then getting a kitten. They wouldn't have imagined that could happen in their wildest dreams.

"Here they are," Mrs. Montgomery pointed at the litter. "Our little Emmy had six of these cute flurry babies."

"Emmy?" Rachel asked. She realized Mrs. Montgomery had probably named her pets after award shows, which made her more intriguing than the brunette would ever admit.

"Yes, I keep a them. That is why Oscar The third is well, the third," the women nodded.

"You are full of surprises," Will interjected as he and Rachel knelt in front of the kittens.

"You too, William," Mrs. Montgomery winked at him while Rachel, who was starting to blush furiously, held a gray kitten on her arms.

"I like this one," Rachel said. Will petted the little kitten's head.

"You are welcome to take him with you, honey. They are driving my Emmy insane. That is why we ran out of milk today; she eats too much when she's stressed."

"Oh," Rachel said recalling her previous interaction with Lisa Montgomery. "Well, we are taking him," She said as Will nodded in agreement. He couldn't say no to that kitten that was purring at his touch, and he realized he couldn't deny anything to Rachel, at least, not that day.

"Perfect. He needs a loving family and from what I've seen, you are one," the women said grinning.

"Well, thank you very much, we will take very good care of him, I promise," Rachel said, holding her new pet strongly. "He's so adorable, isn't he, Will?" Rachel looked at him.

"He is," he smiled timidly. Suddenly he felt like they were adopting a child. "Thanks Mrs. Montgomery."

"You are welcome. Help yourselves out, please, I need to feed my lizards now," the neighbor said walking out of the room.

Before they were eaten by some creature, Rachel and Will made a quick exit and entered his apartment.

"Oh, look at you, you tiny baby," Rachel said to her pet. "Now you need a name, but while I think about one that suits you, all you need to know is that I am Rachel, this is Will and you are all mine." Will laughed listening to her. Not only was she adorable, Rachel had lifted a weight from his shoulders by stating the cat was hers.

"We should get some food for him, Rach," Will said hugging her from behind.

"We can do that on our way to my apartment." She kissed him on the cheek. "Do you want to help me pick a name?"

"I'm curious to see what you come with," Will said before heading to his room, he needed to pack an overnight bag.

He stopped to think for a second. They were actually doing this. They were in a serious relationship after spending less than a week together. After this, he could no longer call himself a coward; he was jumping head first into something amazing and scary in equal measure. He picked a change of clothes and packed it along with his pajamas while listening to Rachel, who was singing a lullaby to the still unnamed kitten.

Meanwhile in Lima, Santana Lopez parked her car at Burt Hummel's shop and exited the vehicle.

"Hey," Finn said opening the door for her.

"I'm here for my oil change." She raised an eyebrow as Finn giggled like a four year old. "God, Hudson, you are so immature..."

"Whatever. It will be ready later this evening. How are you?" he said still smiling.

"Never been better, you?" She handled him her keys.

"Same, but it's been kinda boring lately with almost everyone gone, you know?" Finn looked down.

"Yeah, I know. But maybe we can hang out later when I pick up my car. If I haven't found anything else to do, that is." Santana started to walk away, she was convinced he was going to take the bait.

"I'll buy you dinner," Finn tried to bargain, she turned to him.

"Ok, then I will pick you and my car up at seven. A girl's got to eat." Santana acted casual when he had walked straight into her trap.

"Later, San." Finn smiled.

"Whatever." She shrugged and left the place. Telling Finn about Sherry was going to be a blast.

Rachel and Will were laying on her bed, starring at the little kitten stirring on top of Will's stomach. Rachel was in awe; she couldn't think of anything more precious to watch at the moment, so she decided to take a picture of her boyfriend and her new pet. She "awed" at the image in her cellphone and then proceeded to show it to Will, who, by the way still hadn't recovered his own phone yet. With all that had happened it had stayed inside Rachel's purse all that time.

"This is a lovely picture." She kissed him. "And his first portrait but also the first one I take of you..." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"We can take pictures of us together tomorrow, Rach." Will wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I would love that," she smiled. "And you can add them to the collection you have stored in your phone." She bit her lip.

"Of course you saw that," Will laughed. "What else did you find?"

"All my performances, pictures with us that I've never seen and..." she paused in order to take a breath, "Shelby's number..." Rachel sighed at the last piece of information. Will's eyes widened.

"I have everyone's performances, as I'm sure you've seen." Will drew her closer. "And Brad took those pictures, we barely noticed him but he registered some good moments. Who would have thought, right?" He smiled. "And..."

"Have you been in touch with her, Will?" Rachel cut him off.

"Not until a few months ago. She contacted me to let me know she was quitting her job and wanted to know if I would be interested in taking it." Will locked eyes with Rachel, he knew this kind of information could sadden her.

"So that's why you didn't tell me about coming here..." Rachel was starting to put two and two together.

"Partly, yes. I didn't want you to get hurt."

"It's not your fault she didn't pick me and at least she knows how to choose her replacement." Rachel snuggled up to him. She was being honest but it was breaking Will's heart how she had internalized her mother's abandonment.

"Maybe it's not that she didn't choose you, maybe she chose to protect you from her." Will started rubbing Rachel's back, even if she wasn't going to admit it, she needed him. She pet her kitten and wondered for the briefest of seconds if Shelby had asked him about her at all, but opted against asking in fear of his answer. She didn't want to put Will in the position to be the one to deliver sad news.

"Maybe. We'll never know and that's just fine. In a crazy way, she brought us together, right?" Rachel closed her eyes trying not to think about Shelby and focusing on Will's heartbeat.

"No, Rach. She brought me here. We brought us together." He kissed the top of her head, and with that tender action, Rachel's happiness was evicting the fleeting sadness the memory of Shelby had brought. "I choose you, ok? I love you," Will said because she needed it. He needed to say it again too. There wasn't a more perfect moment to be vocal about it.

"I love you too." She kissed him tenderly. "That was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me," Rachel added trying to suppress bitter-sweet tears. "I choose you too, Will." The brunette smiled her mega watt smile at him. "By the way, I don't have a least favorite performance of yours but as far as Glee's numbers go, 'Time of your life' was the worst," She giggled making part of his concern go away.

And with that, all bitterness disappeared. For now.