A/N - This chapter may contain some spoiler-ish information. It contains something that surfaced after Comic Con and I'm not sure if it is legit or not. If you're trying to remain "Spoiler Free", you have been warned . . .
Chapter 9
The sunset came too quickly for the adoring almost lovers, as vibrant hues of pink and purple gave way to somber hues of navy sparsely speckled with rays of light in the distance. The change in setting exposing anxiety shared by both, as loving embraces and good-byes left them feeling vulnerable to the promise of future conversations. Conversations that would leave emotions exposed with hopes that with such revelations; strength and confidence would begin to peek through.
Will embraced Emma firmly, pressing his forehead to hers a whispered 'I love you' lingering in the air. Sensing his worry and sorrow Emma placed her palms to his cheeks, and looked him confidently in the eye.
"Will, I'm not going anywhere." She assured him.
"We'll talk next week." Leaning toward his left ear, she whispered "I love you so, so much," and tenderly kissed him just behind the lobe.
With that, she turned and walked back toward camp.
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It was nearly 1 a.m. when Will pulled his car into the driveway and drug his tired limbs to bed. He was physically exhausted from the eight hour round trip but his mind refused to allow him the slumber he so desperately needed. The entire drive back to Lima was spent replaying his evening with Emma. She was right, they did need to talk but if he was being honest, "talk," felt hauntingly similar to a vision of his childhood. One where a young William Joel Schuester was sent to his room to think about what he had done until his father got home. At which point his father would have a stern talk with him and dole out an appropriate punishment. With only 2 hours of phone time each week, Will didn't want to spend it picking at old wounds. There was no doubt emotions would run high and while it was possible it could be therapeutic, there was also a huge possibility that hurt feelings and disagreements could ensue as well. However they proceeded, one thing was paramount . . . he couldn't lose her again.
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Emma lay awake in her twin bed, examining the stars in the night sky. She had been trying to sleep for two hours now, but the attempts were futile. Instead she fixated on the three stars making up Orion's Belt, the only constellation she remembered from Astronomy 101 in Junior College. What a predicament she had gotten herself into, Of course they needed to talk, there are always times when couples need to talk. She just didn't want Will to treat her like a delicate piece of porcelain, coddling her insecurities unnecessarily. She hadn't intended to set them up for a long drawn out therapy session via weekly phone calls. She was beginning to feel that if they let things take their course, in time the things they "needed" to discuss would surface and there would be a natural time to discuss them. A time when it didn't feel so planned and so ominous. If she were being honest, she wasn't even sure what needed to be discussed anymore and what topics were better left in the past. Did it matter that he had kissed Shelby Corcoran over 18 months ago? Would the "Why" of it really make that much of a difference, when they had already declared their mutual love for each other? Worse yet, what kind of questions would Will have of her? She was hardly innocent.
-XXXX-
A cup of coffee in hand, Will picked up the most recent edition of the Lima News. Sometime between the hour of 1 a.m. and when his alarm clock so rudely jarred him from his restless daze, he had decided it was time to search for a new apartment. He wasn't exactly sure how the idea manifested, but the thought of a fresh new place, free of history and his ex wife's taste in decor, was suddenly irresistible. As he turned each page of the sparse weekly paper, searching out the classifieds, a picture caught his eye and he froze.
-XXXX-
Emma walked to her car, another Wednesday night upon her. She planned on settling in at the book shop with her coffee before dialing Will's number for what she imagined would be an awkward conversation. She fished through her purse searching for her keys. She prepared to push the unlock button on her key fob, when a pair of feet standing next to her car startled her. There stood Will, unlike last week's surprise, his eyes did not beam and his lopsided grin was missing from his vacant face. A rolled up newspaper was tucked under his arm.
"Emma. There's something I need to tell you." Will whispered.
They drove to the coffee shop in palpable silence. Emma's heart thumping, nausea bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Her mind racing, trying to pin point why Will would make the drive out again after last week's agreement. Convinced that he was breaking up with her, she tried to steady her breathing and hold back the tears. This was it. She thought. He's too much of a gentleman to do it over the phone so he drove out to do it in person.
Emma sat down in a cozy corner of the shop, ironically nestled where the romance novels ended at an abrupt 90 degree angle and the self help books began. Will approached, balancing two large Latte mugs and the same rolled up newspaper. He awkwardly set the mugs down and mentally wrestled with the decision of where to sit and how to begin. He opted for the seat next to her rather than across, pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, placed his left arm around her back as his right hand placed the newspaper already opened to page 7 in front of her. Emma took one look at the page in front of her and immediately broke down. Her small frame shaking as large tears fell from her eyes onto her boyfriend's shoulder sufficiently soaking his shirt.
Will held Emma as violent sobs continued to rack her tiny frame. His heart breaking to see her in such a state, not really knowing what to say. Unsure IF there really was anything he could say.
A sense of overwhelming exhaustion came over Emma, the flow of her sobs ebbing away, replaced first by deep chokes of breath and then tiny sniffles.
"I don't understand. How can he be dead?" She choked.
Her eyes were filled with sorrow and she was unable to shift her gaze from the newspaper which suddenly seemed much too small given the sheer weight of the information it contained.
"It said he had some heart trouble." Will calmly explained.
He hoped she would not pick up on the unintended metaphor contained within the statement. His hopes were dashed as a new wave of sobs were unfurled along with her muffled declaration.
"I broke his heart."
Damn it! He thought as he slowly closed his eyes and contemplated how to proceed.
"Oh Emma" his heart ached at her declaration. "Baby, this is not your fault."
"I did, Will. He loved me and I knew I didn't love him. I didn't want to be alone. Who does that Will? He asked me to marry him and I told him I'd think about it and get back to him. Who does that? If you have to think about it, the answer is 'NO!' I set up all these ridiculous rules and contingencies and then answered 'Yes." She sobbed
"Emma, not one of your best decisions, I agree, but sweetheart, you didn't kill him."
"Will, I made him place the ring on a bench in the locker room. I wouldn't take it from his hand because I was repulsed to touch him. How can you be with me?" Hysterical sobs racking her body as the the threat of hyperventilation loomed.
Will rocked her body, desperately trying to calm her breathing, he hummed soft "shhhhh's" to her ear.
"Emma, Ken ate three bacon and mayonaise sandwiches everyday for lunch. I went to a buffet with him one time and he went back SEVEN times. Baby, you may not be proud of how you treated him, but Ken did this to himself."
Will, pulled back slightly, brushed the moistened locks of hair from her face, and ran his thumb beneath her swollen eyes drying the tears threatening to slide down her flushed cheeks. He placed a small kiss to her forehead and brought her back into his embrace.
The lights flickered in the book shop, a silent signal for the shop's pending closure. The time was nearing 10 o'clock. Emma's return already an hour overdue and she was in no condition to go back.
One phone call to a concerned Camp DIrector, coupled with a quick stop to the Walmart open 24 hours a day, found them nestled on brand new sheets in a hotel room on the edge of town. Will's arms wrapped around Emma as she silently sobbed. She cried for Ken, the loss of the man and the grief she had caused him. Her sobs filled with shame and guilt. Suddenly she recognized a pattern. The look on Ken's face as he called off the wedding matched the look on Carl's face as he requested the annulment. With that a new round of sobs emerged. Sobs laced with fear. A fear that someday Will would have that look on his face too.
A/N - Okay, don't hate me. I promise not to keep it sad for too long.
Thank you to Fadedglass and Rocklandgirl for the tips and encouragement and also to everyone who takes the time to review =)
