A/n: I'm going to leave this one as a surprise for you guys. You'll probably figure it out within the first sentence though. Enjoy!
"..I am bringing in someone else to co-chair the glee club. Someone with a track record of responsibility and excellence."
Will felt his stomach drop at Figgins' words. He knew his kids had messed up, he knew his wife had messed up, he even knew that he messed up - not being aware that his wife was feeding drugs to his students- but he didn't see why it was necessary to bring another person in to co-chair the glee club. Since Figgins had demanded Terri's resignation the kids would no longer be pressured to do anything they shouldn't. He could handle it himself.
What angered him further was that he knew exactly who Figgins had in mind - and she didn't seem the responsible or excellent type at all. Will was convinced that the reason the cheerleading coach had succeeded thus far was because she scared her cheerleaders to the point that they feared for their lives. He hated to think that the same fear and pain could be inflicted on his glee club.
He quickly shared a nervous look with his wife though he wasn't exactly sure why she looked just as nervous as he did. As far as he knew, Terri could care less about the glee club.
He heard a knock at the door and he winced, preparing to see a smirking Sue Sylvester in the doorway, already plotting his doom. He slowly turned around and instant relief flooded his body at the sight of his best friend standing in the doorway.
Emma smiled shyly up at him and out of the corner of his eye he saw Terri's face harden into a glare. "Emma?" His voice was lighter, warmer, not cold and harsh like it was just a minute ago. A smile lit his face and he took a step towards her. "You're gonna be co-director of glee club?"
With a hesitant and fearful glance at Terri, Emma nodded slowly. "Uhm, well yes. Figgins asked me to do it and I couldn't say no... I-I mean I love the kids, the glee kids, they're great."
Will's relieved grin had spread across his entire face. He preferred Emma to Sue a million times over. In fact if he had to choose anyone to co-direct with him it would be Emma. He'd already expressed that Emma was the most honesty and impartial person that he knew and she had judged the kids with him, she already had a little experience and got to know how glee club worked. She'd be perfect as his co-director, he had no doubt about that. Plus, he was more than pleased that he got to spend more time with her.
Emma's smile brightened and her cheeks burned a bright pink at the way Will was staring at her. Both failed to notice the curious look from Principal Figgins and the suspicious glare from Terri.
Terri cleared her throat loudly and Will shook his head, turning to look at her. She raised an eyebrow sharply at him and his lips twitched in a sheepish smile. Terri rolled her eyes and Will turned towards Figgins.
"I'm really sorry about all of this. It won't happen again." Will promised.
Figgins nodded curtly in his signature fashion of understanding. Will sighed and glanced back to Terri. He stared into her crystal blue eyes and found only coldness - the warmth that they once held was gone. He reached out to brush a hand against her arm, "I'll see you at home Terri."
As he turned away from her he failed to notice the hurt that flashed across her face. Will smiled at Emma who was standing there awkwardly. He motioned towards the door and she beamed at him, opening the door and then stepping outside. Without another look at his wife or Figgins, Will followed her out of Figgins' office.
As soon as they both left the office Will felt the atmosphere change around him. It felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
"I have to admit..." Emma's voice caught his attention and he automatically smiled upon hearing it. She looked up at him with a smile and continued, "I was a little surprised when Figgins came to ask me about co-directing the glee club. I didn't even know you were looking for a co-director."
"I wasn't." He rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. "Apparently I'm unfit to run the glee club by myself."
Emma raised an eyebrow at him. "You? Unfit to run glee club? What made him think that?"
"Terri gave them drugs." Will said bluntly and Emma's eyes widened and she froze to the spot. He held up his hands, shaking them back and forth, "No not those kinds of drugs. Over The Counter performance enhancers - Vitamin D."
Emma let out a sigh of relief and continued walking on. "Alright so um, clearly she is unfit to be a nurse but what does that have to do with you?"
Will let out a breath. "I had no idea it was going on. The kids seemed a little more enthusiastic at practices, you saw them, they were more lively then ever but I just thought they were excited about the competition. I didn't know they were on anything." He shook his head and scoffed. "That's why I'm unfit to direct glee club by myself because I overlooked that."
"It wasn't your fault Will." Emma said quietly. "It isn't fair that you have to be punished for it."
"Punished?" Will looked down at her with a genuine smile. "Who's being punished? Having you as my co-director is no way a punishment. It's like I'm being rewarded."
Emma bit her lip and blushed heavily, staring down at the ground. Her conversation with Ken just a few minutes ago swarmed in her mind. She knew she had to tell Will that she had agreed to marry Ken but at the moment she realized it was nearly impossible to do so.
"Honestly?" Will's voice continued and she snapped her head back up to meet his eyes. "At first I thought it was going to be Sue who Figgins chose. She is always trying to find ways to destroy me and the glee club I thought she might have slithered her way into making herself the co-director. I was so incredibly relieved to see you there instead of Sue."
Emma smiled brightly hiding the grin by ducking her head near her chest. "Oh um well I'm glad to be of help."
Will smiled softly down at her but he couldn't help but notice that something was off about Emma. She was more quiet and less enthusiastic about things. Whenever he talked about glee club she'd talk about it with him with just as much passion as he did. He wondered what it could be and then tried to convince himself that she was just having a bad day and she'd be his Emma once they got to glee club.
His Emma? His heart fluttered at the sound of that but he had no idea where it came from. Emma was not his and due to his pregnant wife that he had deserted with his boss she never would be.
Will cursed himself mentally. Why was he thinking that way? Why did he feel like his wife was just an obstacle between Emma and him. An obstacle that if he weren't bounded by law or a conscience, he could just toss to the side in an instant just for the chance to be with Emma?
He shook his head slowly and averted his gaze from the pretty redhead walking quietly beside him. He really needed to stop thinking that way about her. Emma was his best friend, nothing more. He loved his wife.
The nagging at the back of his mind and the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach soon proved that love was diminishing with each passing day. But, he was having a baby, he couldn't desert his wife even if he wanted to. He scoffed under his breath. What a ridiculous concept that was, why would he ever want to leave his wife?
Emma lifted her head and her curious doe eyes settled on his face. His breath caught in his chest. Oh, that's why.
Will cleared his throat and beat his fist against his chest lightly. "Something caught in my throat." He fibbed.
Emma smiled in understanding and then turned to look down the hallway. He let out a slow breath through his slightly parted lips and lightly fingered the gold band around his finger. For five years that had been a symbol of his love for his wife and he felt pride whenever he could show it off but now it felt like it didn't belong there. He dropped his hand and focused forward trying to forget that it was there.
They reached the choir room and Will could hear the chattering of his kids inside and he was brought back to the matter at hand. He looked down at Emma and offered her a smile, "So are you ready? Once you go through that door you're never getting out."
Emma's wide eyes snapped up to him and he winked at her. Her eyes widened further and he chuckled and placed a hand on her back ignoring the spark that rushed through his body. "Kidding, Em."
Emma's mouth formed a cute little "o" shape and she flushed out of embarrassment. He laughed and rubbed her back quickly before turning to open the door.
Once he turned the doorknob there was an immediate hush in the choir room. All twelve pairs of eyes turned to look at the two teachers who had entered the room. Will threw a quick glance to Emma over his shoulder and she smiled, giving him a small nod.
He smiled back and led the charge into the room. He paused in the middle of the classroom and Emma stopped to stand beside him.
All the kids looked ashamed at being caught for their behavior and confused at seeing Emma there.
"Guys..." Will started and folded his hands together in front of him. "I-I honestly don't know what to say."
"We're really sorry Mr. Schue." Finn spoke up from the back of the group.
"We didn't mean to get you into trouble." Rachel added quietly.
Will shook his head slowly, he was disappointed in the kids but with Emma there he wasn't as harsh as he might have been if she wasn't. "I'm really disappointed in you guys. Glee is supposed to be what's inside your heart not what's coursing through your veins."
"We know." Rachel was quick to reassure him. "And I know I speak for everyone when I say we'd be happy to move forward and put this episode behind us."
"Well its not that simple." Will replied and he noticed that a few faces fell. "Because of this debacle its been decided that I'm not fit to run glee club by myself." A couple more faces fell and a few concerned and confused glances were thrown across the room. A small smile played across Will's lips and he held up a finger. "However that is not entirely a bad thing." He placed his hand on Emma's back and felt her tense for a second beneath his hand. "I'd like to welcome our new co-director, Miss Pillsbury."
He saw the same relief flood onto the kids faces that was surely on his minutes ago. Emma smiled warmly and waved her hand shyly. "Hello kids."
"You're gonna be our co-director Miss P?" Artie asked, his gloomy face from seconds ago lighting up.
Emma nodded and was about to speak when Will stepped in, "Yes she is and I'd like for you to treat her with the same kindness that you show me. Miss Pillsbury will be a fantastic addition to the club." He turned his head down to look at her, a dreamy smile on his face.
Emma glanced up at him and blushed heavily. "Th-thank you." She whispered.
A few raised eyebrows, smirks and knowing looks crossed the kids' faces as they watched the obviously smitten teachers.
Though most of the teenagers were relieved that Emma would be their co-director, Rachel expressed her concern. "Mr. Schuester!" She called and raised her hand.
Will managed to tear himself away from Emma and cast a questioning look at Rachel. "Yes Rachel?"
Rachel lowered her hand and glanced at Emma. "Can Miss Pillsbury even sing?"
Will opened his mouth to give an immediate answer but the truth was he didn't have an answer. He had no idea if Emma could sing. He turned to the woman in question. "That is a good question Rachel. Can you sing Em?" His nickname for her slipped out of his mouth before he had a chance to realize it.
Emma's cheeks flushed and she shifted uncomfortably. "Um...well I suppose so, I mean, I don't know I never actually performed in front of people and I-I sing in the shower sometimes and, uh, along the to radio in the, um, car..." She trailed off blushing further at her rant.
Will felt his stomach flip at the thought of Emma singing in the shower. He pushed back his thoughts immediately. He refused to think of those thoughts about his innocent best friend.
Rachel cocked an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips. Emma ducked her head and stared at the floor.
"Why don't you sing something Miss P?" Mercedes asked and the other kids shouted out in agreement.
Emma lifted her head and her eyes widened at the group of exciting kids. She glanced to Will and he shrugged with a smirk. "The crowd has spoken."
"I-I don't know." She mumbled nervously. After a few calls of protest and slight nudge from Will, Emma finally gave in.
She swallowed hard and walked over to murmur her song choice to Brad sitting at the piano. He nodded and waited until Emma had walked back to the center of the room. The kids had all taken a seat and Will took a seat in the front row next to Rachel.
He smiled encouragingly at Emma and that was all the jump start she needed. She nodded towards Brad and he started to play a happy tune. Will recognized it immediately it was one of his favorite songs and he'd never admit it to Terri, but 'My Fair Lady' was one of his favorite movies.
Emma sucked in a breath and then began to sing quietly, "Bed, Bed, I couldn't go to bed my head's too light to try to set it down." Her voice was weak but it instantly caught both Rachel and Will's attention. Rachel looked intrigued and Will sat there in a dreamy shock.
"Sleep, sleep, I couldn't sleep tonight not for all the jewels in the crown." Emma continued with slightly more volume, her heart pounding as she stared out at the kids.
She continued the song her voice growing stronger and louder with each passing lyric and note. A smile spread across her face as she got into the joy and excitement of performing and her confidence kept growing. Each and every one of the glee kids had a smile on their faces as they listened to Emma perform.
Rachel's intrigue had turned into a proud smile and Will's shocked face had sprang into an awed grin.
Emma let her eyes focus on Will as she sang and belted the last part of the song, " I only know when he began to dance with me I could have danced, danced, danced all night."
Rachel leaped out of her chair and started clapping wildly and the other glee club members quickly followed her lead. A few of the boys cat called and whistled while the girls cheered for her. Will remained glued to his seat not able to move even if he wanted to.
He was certain he had never heard a more beautiful sound in his life. He was blown away by April Rhodes the week prior and in high school but not even she could compare to Emma.
Emma panted and her chest rose and fell sharply as she tried to catch her breathe after singing like that. She faintly heard the noise of the glee kids clapping and cheering for her but she could only focus on Will.
She could not believe she had just done that. She could not believe that she had just sung in front of an audience, a small audience, but an audience none the less. An audience that contained Will Schuester. The Will Schuester she was afraid to speak in front of sometimes. She was petrified to sing in front of him. She knew she didn't have the greatest of voices, nothing like Rachel or April or Mercedes and Will was musician, how could she dare show her amateur voice to that god of a man.
But there he was sitting down, his face brightened in an awed smile. He was giving her that smile. Will Schuester was looking at her like he had just seen the light of day for the first time. Her heart was pounding, butterflies swarmed her stomach, her palms were starting to get clammy and yet she didn't care.
All thoughts of her engagement to Ken had completely drifted out of her mind. In fact she could no longer process anything other than Will. The noise of the kids had faded into background noise then white noise and then silence.
Will finally rose from his seat and much like in many romantic movies that Emma had cried herself to sleep over, he started walking towards her in slow motion, a look of deep desire in his eyes.
Emma felt like the breath had just gotten knocked out of her. She couldn't breathe yet she felt light as a feather. Perhaps that is what it felt like to be on cloud nine.
One minute Will was walking towards her and the next she was being wrapped in a warm and strong blanket: Will's arms. She felt his breathe against her ear and shivered slightly and her knees wobbled.
"You are wonderful." He whispered huskily into her ear and she swore she had just melted into a puddle. Her limbs felt weak like she could no longer stand on her own and she needed Will there as her crutch for the rest of her life.
As he pulled away slowly he very lightly brushed his lips against the skin on her cheek. A spark jolted her body awake and she snapped back to reality wobbling slightly as Will broke the hug.
He smiled at her and she stared up at him, dazed.
The next thing she knew Rachel was standing in front of her grinning wildly. "I must say Miss Pillsbury I underestimated you. You have a fantastic singing voice, not as good as me of course but still very impressive."
Emma flushed and she brought her hand to her cheek, covering the tingling spot where Will had kissed her. "Thank you Rachel." She murmured.
Rachel beamed and with a twirl headed back to stand by her chair.
The sound of a loud clap made Emma jump and she brought her attention to Will who was holding his hands together. "Alright everyone," He was grinning her favorite grin to his kids, "Have we officially initiated Miss Pillsbury into glee club?"
With a knowing look the teenagers shared a glance and then looked back at their teacher. "I d-d-d-d-don't th-th-th-think so Mr. Schue." Tina stuttered with a smirk.
Will furrowed his brow in confusion and Kurt continued, "She did a solo performance which was phenomenal but we need to hear how she sounds with other voices, how her voice can harmonize. She needs to perform a duet."
Emma's eyes widened and she glanced at Will. Will quickly glanced back at her and then bit his lip in contemplation.
"And since performing a duet with one of us would be highly inappropriate it needs to be with you Mr. Schue." Rachel concluded with a satisfied with grin.
Emma's mouth opened in shock and her eyes remained glued to Will's frame. Her sing with Will? How could she ever be good enough to sing with Will?
Will glanced sideways at her and he shrugged sheepishly. He slowly walked over to her and leaned his face in closer to talk to her quietly. Emma smelled his sweet breath and she nearly lost all control of her body. "We don't have to do this Emma, if you don't want to. You'll still be co-director."
Emma swallowed hard and braved a look into his eyes. "I want do it Will." The words escaped her lips before she even had time to process them. Her eyes widened at the realization and Will smirked at her.
"The song choice is yours Em. I'll probably know anything you throw at me." Will offered with a smile.
Emma bit her lip trying to think of a song that she would not butcher completely. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and then grabbed onto Will's forearm. He leaned down slightly so she could whisper the song title in his ear.
His heart fluttered at her choice of song and as he pulled away he grinned down at her. He walked over to Brad and told him the song choice, Brad considered it for a moment and then nodded silently to confirm that he knew it.
The kids had gone deathly quiet all staring at their teachers with bright and anticipating eyes. Will stood on one side of the piano and Emma on the other and they glanced at each other for a few seconds while Brad played the intro.
Gripping onto the piano lightly Will stared across the way directly into Emma's eyes as he started to sing, " I thought that dreams belonged to other men. 'Cause each time I got close they'd fall apart again."
Emma placed a hand over her wildly beating heart and never took her eyes off of Will as her soft voice filled the air, "I feared my heart would beat in secrecy. I faced the nights alone..."
She closed her eyes for a brief second as Will's voice joined with hers. "Oh how could I have known that all my life I only needed you?"
Emma opened her eyes to see Will walking towards her slowly, his eyes locked on hers, digging deep right into her soul. Emma found herself walking towards Will as they started the chorus, "Almost paradise, we're knocking on heaven's door. Almost paradise, how could we ask for more? I swear that I can see forever in your eyes. Paradise."
They stopped nearly a foot away from each other and continued to stare in each other's eyes. The girls plus Kurt started to swoon at the love song and even the boys seemed taken in by the emotional duet.
"It seems like perfect love's so hard to find." Will continued inching closer with every word. "I'd almost given up you must have read my mind."
Emma, getting completely lost in Will's eyes, sang, "And all these dreams I saved for a rainy day they're finally coming true."
Emma felt a jolt run through her hand when Will's fingers brushed against hers. Without tearing her gaze away from Will she intwined her fingers with his as their voices came together again, "I'll share them all with you 'cause now we hold the future in our hands."
Will's other hand sneaked its way into Emma's and they brought both of their hands up to rest in between their chests. "Almost paradise we're knocking on heaven's door. Almost paradise how could we ask for more? I swear that I can see forever in your eyes. Paradise. Paradise."
The pair were so wrapped up in each other that they failed to notice that the glee kids snuck out of the room leaving the two adults to serenade their secret love to each other. Nearing the last chorus Brad had even stopped playing and followed after the glee kids leaving the two completely alone.
Will and Emma had moved so close to each other that their noses were nearly touching. Their eyes had fluttered closed but their hands still remained intwined with the other's. Will leaned his head forward a fraction of an inch so his forehead was rested against hers. They breathlessly sung the last word of the song, "Paradise."
Before either of them knew what was happening they mutually brought their lips together in a sweet kiss. Slowly their fingers untangled and Emma slid her hands up his chest, sliding her arms into place around his neck while Will's hand came to rest on her waist.
The first kiss was short, only a few seconds long but as soon as their lips parted they both felt a loss that neither of them could comprehend. Will brought his lips down onto Emma's in a gentle but more passionate manner. Emma tightened her grip around Will's neck and pressed herself against his chest.
Will's arms completely wrapped around her tiny waist and held her close against him. Her fingers played with the curls at the nape of his neck as the kiss continued. It did not get any more intense and it did not get any less intense it was just a kiss- a kiss between two secret lovers who could not be together.
Just when Emma felt she was about to pass out from lack of oxygen Will broke the kiss and started to press little feathery kisses along her jawline. She swallowed hard and let her head fall backwards slightly. One of Will's hands left her waist and he brought it up to caress the side of her face lightly. She leaned into his palm and he brushed his hand upward, taking a piece of her red hair in his fingers and tucking it behind her ear. "Emma..." He whispered her name and her eyes fluttered open.
Brown met hazel and a fire stirred in both of them. They knew nothing would ever be the same again. Emma lifted her hand so it would rest over Will's and she leaned her head sideway to press a soft kiss to his palm. "Will." She muttered his name because that is only thing that she could find to say at the moment.
Will stared lovingly down at her with a soft smile.
"Welcome to glee club."
A/n: The ending is not how I originally planned it to be but wemma did their own thing so it made it that much fluffier in the end.
Song credits: 'I Could Have Danced All Night' from 'My Fair Lady' and 'Almost Paradise' from 'Footloose' . If you haven't heard 'Almost Paradise' its a beautiful song.
Also, question? I might make this chapter into a full length 'what if' story just focusing on this scenario alone. Would you like to read that? I could drabble in wemma affairs - which is always thrilling- which leads to a big blow up between our favorite love triangle hm? Let me know!