"Bricks"
Chapter XIV
Rachel crossed the door letting out a deep sigh, she had survived her first day of college. She was slightly confused, though. Rachel had been ready for college all her life and she assumed the stakes would be incredibly high; however, as she saw it, most of her assignments didn't sound as such. She wasn't convinced that watching musicals could be categorized as any kind of homework. She grinned thinking about it. If her first day was any indication, college was going to be amazing, and she would definitely stand out. Granted, the competition – because that is how she saw her fellow students – seemed ferocious, but she was confident no one could match her drive. On top of that, what were the chances any of them would have a vocal coach wrapped around their finger? The brunette was lost in thought looking for her iPod when she felt Will's hand taking hers. She could recognize his touch instantly.
"Hey, stalker," Rachel said turning to face Will.
"Stalker? I thought you would appreciate me being here." Will smiled and kissed her cheek before taking her backpack from her shoulder and slinging it on his.
"Of course I do. You can stalk me any time" She squeezed his hand, grinning. "Thanks, that was heavy; you are always so chivalrous."
"My pleasure. How was your first day?" Will started walking. He had seen her exit the house of study and Will could read her body language, which meant he already knew she had had a wonderful start; however, he couldn't wait to hear her say it. He could already picture her describing every single detail with shiny eyes and a huge smile.
"It was quite pleasant. Classes seem to be easier than I thought they would be, though."
"Rach..." Will tried to warn her.
"Don't worry. I haven't challenged my professors just yet." She laughed. "Did your Glee 2.0 kids give you any trouble?"
"None whatsoever, even though they were hesitant to learn my favorite Journey song." Will said sighing.
"William Schuester, please tell me you are not whoring 'Don't stop believing' around," Rachel said seriously, causing Will to burst into laughter. "And don't you dare laugh at me! That song has a lot of history! Pick a different band for crying out loud!"
"Are you jealous, Rach?" Will burst into laughter. He had always found it endearing how Rachel could be childish and an old soul at the same time.
"That depends, does the girl who sings MY part sound as good as I did?" Rachel's tone got pitchy; she was at the very least irritated.
"Relax, no one sounds that amazing." Will chuckled. He couldn't believe Rachel was about to make a scene because of a song; then again, he should have known that was exactly what she would do.
"Boyfriend, don't set yourself up for disaster and disappointment and decide on different song instead! In fact, don't give anyone ANY of the ones we did in Glee. Not mine, at least. Take this as an opportunity to chart uncharted waters." Rachel nodded. She really couldn't stand the idea of Will recreating her old Glee club, THEIR old Glee club. "I could help you with a new set list..." She stared into his eyes awaiting an answer. In all honesty, she had wanted him to ask for her help.
"That actually is a great idea, Rach. I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner." Will was loving this. In a way, he and Rachel were settling every argument they had had in the past. "I guess if you want to help me out and have the time to do so we can make it work." Will intertwined his fingers with hers, his work could pull them closer together instead of pushing them apart. That was very new to him.
"We are going to have a lot of fun! Go team Sherry!" Rachel giggled swinging their joined hands. Her opinion mattered to him and that was what she had longed to hear ever since she was his student.
"You are enjoying this too much." Will narrowed his eyes; there had to be a catch somewhere .
"Well, this means I basically have creative control over your group... and it also crowns me as your honorary co-director, not to mention me helping you puts us in the same room for many hours, singing and dancing. And let's not forget you would be owing me one. What is there not to enjoy?" Rachel smiled widely.
"You are right." Will nodded. "It sounds wonderful."
"This is strange. You are agreeing with everything I suggest; what did you do?" Rachel stopped walking and looked straight at him.
"Nothing, I swear." Will laughed.
"Come on, Will, I can read you as well as you can read me, and there is something you are not telling." Rachel could smell something was off. "Spill."
Will couldn't keep things from her, nor did he want to, especially when they were so comfortable around one another. Moreover, she looked so cute trying to get to the bottom of things that there was no point in going in circles. Instead of heading to either of their places, he opted to grab coffee to go from a cart and sit with her under a tree on her campus. He couldn't predict how emotional Rachel could get after hearing what he had to say, so he preferred her to be sitting while he proceeded to do so.
He told her every minuscule detail about the conversation he had with his boss. As it turned out, Mr. Morgan had indeed been involved with Shelby; until one day, all of the sudden, she ended the relationship, turned her resignation, packed her bags and left without saying where. It had been close to four months since the principal had heard a word from her, and he was trying to reach her.
Will hadn't been able to answer his boss's questions, which put him in a fragile position since the man was desperate and didn't know Will enough to trust him. At the same time, if Will had known where Shelby was or how to contact her, he wasn't sure he would have helped the Principal, not because he wasn't touched by the man's story, but because Rachel was his priority and bringing her biological mother into her life could be a huge misstep.
Rachel felt like a monster but that piece of information brought her an incalculable amount of relief. She wasn't the only person Shelby had abandoned, so maybe there wasn't anything wrong with her; maybe that was just the way her biological mother was. At the same time, she was impressed with the way her boyfriend was protecting her. She couldn't help but think Will had some sort of sensor when it came to those who could potentially hurt her.
Will agreed with Rachel, that there was a pattern. It seemed like Shelby had trouble with commitment. As far as they knew, her only emotional tie had been Beth. That didn't mean Rachel wasn't questioning why her mother couldn't try to get to know her, to love her, but at least now she wasn't blaming herself. She wouldn't scrutinize her flaws looking for a culprit. Ironically, knowing more about Shelby was helping the brunette to let go. Confessing that to Will caused Rachel to tear up a little. Her mother would probably always be a growing pain for her. She was Rachel's unfinished business.
After he had comforted her with kisses, hugs and motivational speeches, Will and Rachel made a detour to her apartment. Will fed the still unnamed kitten, while she packed her overnight bag and picked up the things she would need the next day. Then they headed to his place, where Will's gift was waiting for Rachel.
She entered his apartment and headed straight to the kitchen to make them a snack, while Will carried her bag to his bedroom and looked for his very well hidden gift. Rachel was setting the table, when Will walked up to her with a mischievous look in his eyes and a hand behind his back. She smiled her mega watt smile in anticipation and stood still until he closed the distance between them.
"What are you hiding there, boyfriend?" Rachel raised an eyebrow; she loved surprises but hated to wait.
"Your gift, which casually, is more a gift for me than it is for you," Will said in utter ambiguity. "That is, if you decide to accept it..." He took her hands with his free hand. "You can say no and this could go back to my socks drawer, no pressure." He added. Rachel's heart was racing, trying to process what he was saying. She blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out how to reply.
"Am I going to need to sit, Will?"
"I don't know, maybe." He laughed nervously. "This is huge for us." He finally placed a small black box in her hands causing Rachel's jaw to drop open.
"Will..." Rachel felt like she was about to faint.
"Go ahead, open it." He smiled wide.
"I'm nervous now!" Rachel blurted out. "How can you do this to me, Will Schuester!"
"Just open it, Rach." Will uttered with a confidence he rarely showed. Rachel took a deep breath and opened the small box, unsure if she wanted to see its contents.
"I'm going to KILL you, Will!" She quickly reacted when she saw the pink post it that read "Look in my back pocket."
"I hope not." Will laughed. "So? Don't you want to see what it is?"
"I don't know, do I?" Rachel bit her lip.
"I think so..." Will scanned her eyes.
"What if I refuse to look in your back pocket? You are kind of freaking me out in case you haven't noticed, and I think that was your plan." Rachel tilted her head; she was just buying time. She was in fact curious as to what the gift was but she was also scared it might be what it seemed to be.
"Fine, close your eyes." Will smiled at her warmly. He wanted her to be surprised, not cause her to have a heart attack.
"Alright." Rachel took a deep breath and closed her eyes. As soon as she did, she felt Will's breath on her face. Her body trembled slightly in response. His lips touched hers softly and she relaxed a little into his sweet kiss. The truth was he had miscalculated; he wasn't expecting her to get THAT on edge.
"Ready?" he asked, pressing his forehead to hers.
"I hope so," she replied, keeping her eyes closed. Then she felt cold metal touch her skin, and sucked a breath. There was a heavy ring being placed on THAT finger, only it felt loose and heavy. Rachel's heart was about to jump out of her chest so she opened her eyes immediately and looked at her hand only to burst into laughter. "Oh, Will!" She giggled, staring at the key chain with a golden star and the keys of his apartment hanging from her finger.
"My apartment is closer to your school. This way, you can come here whenever you want." He laughed, still holding her hand.
"You are going to pay for this. You led me to think this was an engagement ring! I thought I might die! And don't think for a second that I am not aware that you did that on purpose so I would say yes."
"I couldn't resist playing a little joke on you." Will dropped her hand and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Do you accept my little gift?"
"What a question! Of course I do, you mischievous idiot!" Rachel wrapped her arms around Will's neck and kissed him soundly. "But you can't ever torment me like this again!"
"That was what I was hoping for." Will smiled. "Except for the part where you called me an idiot."
"You tricked me!" Rachel laughed.
"I know, and you looked so endearing. You should have seen your face, sweetheart." Will pulled her closer.
"I bet... but I have to ask, are you sure you want me to have access to your apartment 24/7? This could be an invitation for disaster. I mean, are you ready for a Rachel Berry invasion?"
"I'm looking forward to it." Will kissed her forehead.
"But this is a commitment, a titanic one." She looked over his shoulders at her hand holding the keys.
"I know, Rach." Will nodded."But we are committed, and I feel like we have been together for years."
"Me too." She kissed him. "You are aware that I will probably go through all your things while you are not here, and possibly rearrange some of them, right?" Rachel bit her lip, she had never had the keys to anyone's home except for hers. This was a milestone in her life.
"I don't mind. I have nothing to hide; besides, this is very practical."
"Not to mention this gives me the opportunity to surprise you as many times as I want." Rachel ran her hand down his cheek.
"Sounds like you already have something in mind." Will sat on his chair and pulled her with him, placing her comfortably on his lap.
"I believe it's safe to assume so." Rachel smiled raising her eyebrows and loosened his tie. "I feel like an adult right now. I mean, what a day! I saw your new work place. I met your boss, aka, Shelby's ex. We had an impromptu performance together. I started college and absolutely rocked it. You introduced me as your girlfriend. I marked my territory in your office. And now, I hold the keys to your palace." Rachel took off his tie and hung it on his chair.
"And how does it feel, Rach?"
"Amazing!" she practically screamed. "Also, I might need you to give me back the mug I gave you."
"Why? I love it. In fact, the school nurse 'awed' when she saw me holding it." Will laughed at the memory.
"Well, it needs to say 'Boyfriend of the century' now that you gave me this wonderful present." Rachel left the key chain on the table. "But now you saidthe nurse awed... I don't need your female co-workers and students to think you are this charming. I solely wanted them to be aware you are taken." Rachel nodded.
"I think they got the memo, Rach." Will shook his head.
"Mission accomplished, then. Now what do you say we snack and then work on your song list?" Rachel kicked her shoes off.
"I would love that." Will rubbed her thigh over her skirt. "Or..."
"We are never going to get your work done if we do that, Will." Rachel slapped his chest playfully. "But I'm flattered, Mr Schuester."
"You are making it difficult for me to think about my job when you are discarding clothing items and while wearing my favorite skirt, Rach." Will laughed.
"It was just my shoes and your tie, Will!" Rachel giggled. "But knowing this, maybe we should schedule a few make out sessions between songs. Would that do the trick?"
"Absolutely," Will said with excitement. This was working too well for them. "Do you have any assignments I can help you with?"
"No actually, I have to watch Moulin Rouge for my Drama class, but I know the movie by heart."
"You are going to be an advanced student in a heartbeat, Rach." Will smiled proudly.
"Granted. And the best part is that if I don't have to spend a lot of time doing my assignments, because let's face it I already have most of them in the bag, then I can audition more than I thought I would be able to." Rachel took her glass and sipped some orange juice.
"Don't push yourself too hard, Rach."
"Oh, you know I will, and it's touching that you care but don't worry. I know my limits." She kissed him quickly. "Mr Schuester..." Rachel giggled.
After spending two hours sitting on his bed listening to music and taking a few notes, Will and Rachel had agreed on a list of ten songs and their respective order. Sharing that task with his girlfriend had felt perfect for Will. Now he couldn't wait to hand the music sheets to his group. He really needed to get to know the kids in his school choir class. He wanted to be challenged again, but for some reason, he had a bad feeling about it all. He would think it through before admitting it to Rachel, but he found himself being more eager to audition than to teach. That scared him A LOT. If it wasn't for Rachel, he would be feeling like a washed out performer that could have became much more back in the day. So to add to that, that he was feeling like a burned out educator was a tough pill to swallow; not to mention, he feared Rachel might be disappointed at him if she knew. Will put his thoughts aside and concentrated on her, who was resting her head on his shoulder. Maybe he was just overwhelmed by his first day at a new job. Maybe.
"Will, what's wrong?" Rachel broke the silence. She could feel the tension on his shoulder.
"Nothing. I'm just tired, I guess." It wasn't a complete lie. He was exhausted, but that was not the reason for his silence.
"Then maybe you should lay down for a little while before we order dinner?" Rachel smiled. They had not planned to have take out, but she had decided they would.
"Good call." Will said before laying on his back and pulling her with him. He loved how their bodies fit.
"Tell me three things you have never told anyone before." Rachel said snuggling into him.
"What do you mean? What are you after, Rach?" Will was suspicious, could she be reading his mind?
"Nothing, I'm just making conversation. Humor me." She kissed his jaw. "Please?" She pouted. "You know that the more I learn about you the more I fall in love with you..."
"Well..." He gave in. "I've always had the theory that the spider in Matt's ear didn't get there on it's own..." He chuckled.
"Interesting, and who do you think might have put it there? If that was the case in point..." Rachel's eyes shifted, she hadn't expected him to say that. Ever.
"Santana." Will said without hesitation and Rachel covered her mouth with her hand in surprise. "I knew it!" Will said victorious. For years, he had suspected Santana but there was never evidence to prove a thing.
"How did you know that?" Rachel couldn't believe Will had figured it. Only she and her best friend knew the whole story.
"Matt had just broken up with her; it was too coincidental." Will nodded.
"Wow, how observant of you ... I'm so proud, Will." Rachel smiled at him. She loved how similar they could be, and this was proving Will Schuester was a mastermind, just as she was. "San was just trying to scare him. He was taking a nap in the library and she placed the spider on his nose but it... migrated. It was an accident." Rachel shrugged. "Promise me you will never tell San that you know; she still feels bad about it."
"I won't." Will took her hand in his, it was cute how protective of Santana Rachel was, even if she was defending an act as outrageous as accidentally planting a spider in someone's ear.
"Thanks. If you think about it, if that had never taken place we wouldn't have performed 'Endless Love', which led to my inappropriate and extremely shameful crush on you... Granted, it wasn't the right time for us back then but I've always recalled that fondly." She smiled. Rachel really liked that story. After all, that was the first time they had sang together.
"And look at us now, cuddling in my bed after a great day..." Will felt the air filling his lungs, he was really happy. In moments like this one, everything clicked for him.
"Tell me about it! Who would have thought we would be here one day? Oh, wait, San!" Rachel laughed.
"Why am I not surprised?"
"She can see things. I don't know how she does it, but she has this gift! I can't wait to tell her I have the keys to your apartment." Rachel kissed his nose. "Okay, next."
"I'm going to tell you this because everything went better than I planned. I called Santana to ask her what to wear for our first date. AND that is not it; I followed her instructions, even with her underwear choice." Will laughed.
"Will, that is lovely! She never told me..." Rachel laughed. "She likes you more than I presumed, you sneaky charmer." She kissed him. "Next!"
"I'm not proud of this, okay?" Will said sighing. This had been something he had even regretted at some point.
"Oooo, what could it be?" Rachel was really exited. There was a lot about Will she still didn't know, and she found this particular game very amusing.
"Remember how I recruited Finn?"
"Yes, you made him join Glee in exchange for not turning him in to Figgins after you found pot in his locker." Rachel nodded.
"What you don't know is I was the one who planted the drugs. I know it was wrong but I was desperate." Will locked eyes with Rachel and his heart melt when he saw her smile with him.
"William Schuester! That is SO wrong! I always thought maybe the drugs were Puck's! And to think you preached at me when I sent Sunshine to that inactive crack house!" She narrowed her eyes at him, remembering how guilty he had made her feel at the time.
"Hey! What I did wasn't right by any means but at least it wasn't dangerous, you little bandit!" Will narrowed his eyes at her this time.
"Excuse me? What part of inactive do you not understand?" Rachel was serious and she had a point.
"Rach..." Will needed to make her de-escalate.
"Don't Rach me. What I did was just as bad as what you did! And you were already a grown up!" She poked his chest with her accusing finger.
"Ok, fine. It was terrible. Now it's your turn." Will shrugged but he knew it was too late; Rachel would always hang that over his head.
"Well, the story of the spider in Matt's ear counts as one since I have never told anyone about it."
"Rach, that is not fair!" Will laughed.
"Sure it is! Do you want to have an argument about why it counts? Seriously, Will?"
"No, okay, I give up, it counts. Go on to number two then." He smiled.
"Hmmm... let me think, oh, I know! Do you know how I got this scar?" She pointed at the one on her forehead.
"No, and I've always wondered about it." Will traced it with his thumb.
"You have?" Rachel was surprised at his admission.
"Yes, Rach. I have." Will smiled, knowing now she was aware his "always" meant since she was his student.
"When we were six, San and I were BFFs. We were inseparable. There are pictures of us with matching headbands and all." She nodded smiling. "But one day we were on the swing set in my back yard and we were competing to see who could go higher, and I won. So San raised the bet and challenged me to jump... I did and my head hit the ground. That's how I got the scar, and that was also why I never talked to her again. It was silly but I was only six years old... By the time we were in high-school, she pretended she never knew me because I guess she was still hurt."
"Aw, Rach. That's quite a story." He hugged her.
"I know. Not even my dads know why we stopped being friends, and San and I have never talked about it. I'm glad we are friends again, though."
"Me too. Friends are important." Will sighed, he didn't have any. He had alienated all of them when he married Terri.
"Mhm." Rachel kissed him, she could hear the nostalgia in his tone. "So number three... you have to promise me you won't read too much into it, before I tell you."
"I can promise to try..." Will laughed. "You know you can tell me anything."
"Yes, I know, and after what you pulled by making my think you were proposing, you are not really entitled to overreact to this, but I thought I might warn you."
"Consider me warned." Will reassured her.
"I'm not planing on having children any time soon, but when I do, I won't just have one. Being an only child is lonely, so I want at least four." Rachel nodded examining his facial expressions.
"Rach..." Will laughed. "That is... you thought I would read too much into that?"
"Well, yes!" She shrugged.
"I think that's great. I wouldn't have just one kid, either." He brushed her hair. "There is all that pressure being an only child, not to mention, the loneliness you pointed out."
"You are an only child as well! I... I don't think I knew that!" Rachel almost screamed. "We have so much in common, boyfriend!"
"We do." Will laughed, it was strange how they were getting to know one another; there was no specific order and it worked.
"So you think your parents would like me? Not that I'm rushing you to tell them..." Rachel threw one leg over his.
"I think they would be happy to know I have someone special in my life, Rach, yes. But I'm not telling them on the phone." Will tried to answer her question without saying much. The truth was he had no idea how his parents would react to him dating a former student, but he didn't care because he was an adult; yet, pointing that out to Rachel would show the age difference between them.
"That makes sense, and don't worry, I know you are not ashamed of us. You introduced me to your boss, and your neighbors know a lot more than we want them to about us..." Rachel giggled.
"I would never be ashamed of us. If anything, I'm proud." Will rubbed her back.
"Me too, we are amazing. I love us." Rachel placed a kiss on his chest. Soon after they were both sound asleep.
The first week in this new chapter of Will and Rachel's life was about to be over. Rachel was still finding college to be far from a challenge, which discouraged her slightly, but she was happy to see the glass half full and audition in her spare time, even if she wasn't getting the results she had anticipated. For his part, Will felt numb when it came to teaching. His group was talented; they were more than average kids, but he wasn't moved by them at all, and he was sure that had to be reciprocal. He found himself dreading going to work every morning, and he was enjoying his auditions more than he ever thought he would. They provided an escape for him, call backs or not. He liked having something different to do every day. On top of that, Rachel and him were on solid ground. She helped him come up with assignments for his Glee club and he helped her perfect her monologues for classes. They included one another in their responsibilities and then they just enjoyed unwinding together. In a way, Rachel was also teaching his students and he was attending college.
Rachel had shed more than a few tears after an audition had gone awfully wrong. A casting director had called her "short" and she had just lost her temper in front of him. After which, she stormed out only to run to Will's apartment and demand he give her a massage. Will happily complied; he couldn't stand seeing her so sad. He also wanted to know the directors name, hunt him down, and kill him with his bare hands, but he never told that to Rachel, afraid she might encourage him. Instead, Will surprised her by announcing Mr. Morgan had requested his students perform a song in front of the whole school in only two days. According to his boss, he had forgotten to mention sooner that it was the School 15th anniversary. However, what Mr. Morgan did not neglect to point out was how tough an act it would be to follow the performances from the previous years, aka, those Shelby had orchestrated.
Listening to that, Rachel's body ignited. She now despised Mr. Morgan even more than she hated Lisa Montgomery. Moreover, she was not going to let Shelby's legacy threaten Will's future. It took her and Will about forty-five minutes and a call to Santana Lopez to come with a fool proof game plan to get the Principal off Will's back. Once they had the guidelines down, Will took a shower and Rachel took that as an opportunity to put part of their plan in motion. Breathing in and out, she knocked on the Montgomery's door, and waited. Lisa's smile faded at the sight of Rachel.
"Oh, it's you." Lisa didn't bother to mask how much she didn't like Rachel.
"Yes, hello, I'm sorry to bother you but... listen, I know you don't like me, but I was wondering if you are still single and looking." Rachel didn't beat around the bush.
"Is this a joke?" Lisa crossed her arms over her chest.
"You have no idea how much I wish it were but..." Rachel couldn't finish her sentence; all of a sudden, she felt a wave of nausea hitting her.
"Are you okay? You got pale, why don't you come in and sit?" Lisa said concerned.
"I'm fine." Rachel took a deep breath. "Thanks anyway." She leaned against the door frame, Rachel wasn't feeling fine yet she didn't want to enter that apartment filled with exotic animals. "So, are you still looking?"
"Yes." Lisa said looking down.
"Well, then Will and I would love to invite you to a small event at his work. There are many single teachers there, and one in particular who I think might be your type." Rachel nodded still feeling light-headed.
"Alright, why not?" Lisa conceded without a fight. Rachel would have smiled but the nausea was getting worse.
"That's exactly what I hoped to hear. I will slide the invite under your door tomorrow morning; have a nice day." Rachel said turning away.
"Thanks, you too." Lisa replied feeling very strange, then closed the door.
Rachel hurried to get inside Will's apartment and laid on his couch. Apparently, Lisa Montgomery caused her to feel sick. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. She needed her plan to work. Rachel wasn't stupid and she sensed how stressed Will was about his job. She took it to heart to be the one taking the weight off his shoulders. The brunette was confident their scheme would work, yet her stomach was turning...