A/N: So I'm the worst. First I would like to say that I'm sorry that this has taken me so long to update. I've just been in a writer's block and was even thinking of deleting the story all together because of how many chapters it already is and that I was unsure of what direction I should take the story. I didn't want to do that though to the people who are still reading so here's a new chapter.
I do plan on finishing this story but it may be a while as I take breaks as I focus on school. I'll try to start writing the next chapter as soon as possible. Anyways, thank you to those who are still reading and sticking with it. Reviews and thoughts on where the story should go are always appreciated. Enjoy!
Will stared at Rachel as she placed her phone down on the counter. She looked just as nervous as he did with the news from her father's. "Did they say why?" Will asked confused on why her fathers would make them choose.
"They want to stay home this year and have a traditional family holiday celebration. They think it's important for the baby to grow up in a house with tradition," Rachel said a bit confused, as she explained her father's thoughts.
"So we have to change our plans to accommodate them?" Will asked while Rachel did a shrug of the shoulders, unsure of what to reply. It was her father's after all. She couldn't disobey them even if she wasn't a little girl anymore and she felt she owed it to them ever since springing the pregnancy news to them.
"It looks like it," she finally replied as silence crept into the room, Will looking a bit tense. "I know you're scared, but we can't avoid going home forever. Our family is there and you have to do something about your job," Rachel reminded, still pushing that he find a job in the city.
"I know, you're right," Will finally said after a few minutes of silence, trying to use his brain to reason instead of listen to his heart which was unsure.
"We'll be back for New Year's, so only at most of a week there," Rachel thought out.
"Okay, I guess we're going home," Will agreed. Rachel smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek out of appreciation and understanding. "I'm going to call them and let them know," she said as she took her phone back out and dialed the number.
Will watched as she talked on the phone to her dads, explaining their agreement to stay a week over Christmas. Thoughts were flying through his head on what would happen during that week. Would he see Emma? Would he go back to the apartment to get the rest of his things? Would he finally quit his job and say good bye to the glee club?
He, however, wasn't sure of any of the answers to his thoughts and that was the biggest problem he had with going back home. He didn't know what would happen and he didn't like not knowing what was going to happen. He sighed to himself though and finally resolved with himself that they couldn't avoid home forever. Lima was still apart of him and would always be a part of his future so he needed to suck up his concerns and deal with going home.
"So, we're all set. They will pick us up at the airport on the 23rd," Rachel said pulling Will out of his thoughts.
"Great," he replied with a small smile. "I guess we better look into booking a flight," he added as Christmas was only a week and a half away.
"You're right. I'll go get my laptop and we can look together," Rachel said as she returned to her bedroom, moments later though, she came back with it and sat down at the kitchen counter.
"So if you guys go back home, I guess just my dad will come to visit?" Kurt said as he realized their holiday party was going to be cancelled.
"Yeah, I suppose so. I'm sorry Kurt," Rachel said as she apologized for her dad's request.
"It's okay. I think it will actually be nice to have some time with just my dad for a few days," he said with a smile.
"As long as you're not mad," Rachel reassured. "It's fine, really," Kurt replied with a smile.
"Okay great," Rachel said while Will smiled at Kurt's understanding.
"I'm going to go finish the movie with Santana while the power is still on," Kurt said as he knew the two would be busy looking and booking a flight back home.
"Okay, we'll join you once we're done," Rachel said as Will sat down next to her.
"Flights are expensive," Will said while they were looking through all the available flights.
"I know, that's why you need to look for a job," Rachel stated. She knew it was a sensitive topic but Will still hadn't done anything to make progress on finding a job in the city like he said he would.
"I know I do," Will said with a sigh.
"Maybe when we go home, you can finally talk to Figgins," Rachel suggested.
"I will, this is just a busy time, Rach," Will said but Rachel sighed as he was making an excuse again.
"Will, there is never going to be a right time," Rachel said, making a statement. "You just have to rip it off like a band-aid," she added.
"Easy for you to say," Will said a bit bitterly. He immediately regretted it though as he saw Rachel's face, hurt by his words.
"Well if I wasn't carrying our child, I would," she said with a huff. "You know, I think I'm going to do this on my own," she added as she stood up and walked back to her bedroom leaving him to sit alone and scratch his head at what had just happened.
"In the dog house again," Santana said from the couch as both her and Kurt were looking over at him.
"Don't want to talk about it," Will said gruffly as he stood up and walked to the sliding door.
"Where are you going?" Kurt asked. "It's a blizzard out there," he added as he saw Will slip on his coat.
"I don't know but I'll be back soon. I just need to think," he explained as he put on his hat and walked out the door, leaving Kurt and Santana confused.
As Will stepped out, he didn't think where he was going, he was just walking down the hallway. He stopped at as he saw a fire exit and was curious to see where it led. He opened the door and walked up the three more flights of stairs before landing on the rooftop that was covered in snow.
It was chillier than he thought and he knew he wouldn't be up there long. He walked over to the edge and observed the streets below him. No one was out as it had snowed all day and it was rather dark out now. The ground was also covered in snow and probably had ice underneath it as well.
He looked up to the sky to see the snowflakes falling in no particular pattern and landing gently on the ground in front of him. It was peaceful to watch and he felt calmer after taking a few deep breaths.
"Will, come back inside," a voice said, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Rachel? What are you doing out here? How did you know this is where I would be?" Will asked in surprise.
"I don't know, I just knew," she said as she walked closer to him, arms clutched around her waist due to the cold.
"I didn't mean to put pressure on you," she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist once she got to him.
"I know you didn't and I know I have to do something about my job, it's just I don't know where to look," Will said a bit disappointed in himself, but admitting his worry.
"Well, I can help you," Rachel said. "We can look together and find something that fits you perfectly."
"I would like that," he said as he stroked the hair out of her face away. She smiled at him and leaned her head into his chest for warmth as his arm cradled around her side.
"Can we go back inside?" Rachel asked as she felt her cheek start to numb.
"Yeah, we probably should," Will said as he let go of her. Rachel began walking but suddenly felt something cold hit her back.
"Will!" Rachel said in surprise.
"Yeah?" he asked with a grin.
"Did you throw a snowball at me?" she asked with a smile, trying not to laugh.
"Maybe," Will replied, coolly. "What are you going to do about it?" he asked.
"This," Rachel said as she reached down and quickly made a snowball of her own. She threw it and hit him in the arm as he tried to dodge away.
"You're getting it, Rach," Will said as he made another snowball after another until Rachel was on the ground laughing, soaked through with water.
"Okay, I'm done. I've had enough and this baby has too," she said as she put a hand on her stomach, suddenly feeling a light cramp, but thought nothing of it.
"You okay?" Will asked, afraid that she had over done it. "I'm good," Rachel replied as the cramping passed.
"Okay good, truths then?" Will asked as he stepped up next to her putting his arms out to help her up off of the ground.
"Truths," Rachel replied as she grabbed his arms and then leaned in to kiss him on the lips once she was on her feet. It was slow and sweet and slowly becoming a real kiss between the two where they were not shy or nervous with each other.
"Really, though, can we go inside?" Rachel asked, with a smile.
"Yeah, come on," Will said as he slipped his arm around her shoulder while they walked back down to their floor.
When they came back inside, Kurt gave them a look of concern but Rachel quickly reassured him that everything was fine.
"I'm going to go change into my sweats," Rachel said as her clothes were wet from the snow.
"Me too," Will said as he followed behind with a grin.
"This is when I wish I had ear plugs," Santana said with a smirk causing Kurt to roll his eyes.
After taking a few minutes for Rachel to slip on a clean pair of sweat pants and Will a new shirt, the pair walked back out to the living room to finish watching the movie. It was rather late though and Rachel felt her eyes start to drift as soon as she sat down.
"Well I'm going to bed," Kurt said as the end credits came up on the screen.
Will stirred a bit at his words and rubbed his eyes. He looked at the time and noticed he had fallen asleep for about an hour.
"Us too," he said as he noticed Rachel was still asleep. Santana was asleep on her side of the couch as well so he didn't bother to wake her either.
Will carefully stood up after Kurt had left the couch and lifted Rachel and the blanket into his arms bridal style. He paused for a moment as she stirred a bit from his movements, but she remained asleep as he carried her back into her bedroom.
"Good night, Will," Rachel said with a yawn, as she adjusted herself under the covers after Will placed her down. Her eyes were still closed when she was talking so Will knew she was tired.
"Night, Rachel, see you in the morning," he said as he moved his arm around her as Rachel rested her head on his chest after he climbed in the bed.
As night turned into day, more snow fell overnight, making the morning chillier than usual and with the power out yet again.
Rachel woke up a bit earlier in the morning than usual due to her stomach feeling queasy, but she grabbed her robe and decided to take a look out the frost covered window. After a few minutes of gazing down to the streets below, she decided to check her phone for anymore updates on her classes. She already had one day off, and she wished for more as the stress of the showcase was still weighing down on her.
After checking all of her emails, her classes were still currently set to be held the next day. She sighed but thought that more snow could fall throughout the day and overnight. Placing her phone down, she walked out to the kitchen to make a pot of tea where she found Kurt sipping on coffee in the arm-chair in the living room.
"Good morning," he said to her with a quick glance over his shoulder. "Morning," Rachel replied sleepily.
"Why are you up so early?" Rachel asked as she filled the kettle with water.
"I'm almost always up early," Kurt replied. "Why are you are up early is the question?" he returned with a raised eyebrow.
"I couldn't stay in bed anymore," Rachel replied. "Thought I would make some tea and mentally prepare myself for the showcase, my stomach has also been a little queasy already so I wanted to get up and see if that would help settle it," she added.
"Rachel, you will be fine. You have four more days," Kurt reminded. "And morning sickness could be a sign of too much stress," he added with concern.
"I know but I still don't feel ready," Rachel said in distress. "And I know that it could be but I can't rest until after the showcase," she added, voice stern.
"But you will be. You perform best when you're loose," Kurt reminded. "Also, that's not good for the baby. You need to relax. Which is what you should do today," he added, voice just as strong.
"I know. I should but this baby is not making me loose today," Rachel said as she continued to feel nauseous and slight cramping.
"You should go back to the doctor, see if they can put you on something to ease your morning sickness," Kurt suggested.
"No, I can power through it," Rachel replied with a demanding look. Kurt gave her a look of uncertainty though.
"If you say so," he replied as he took a sip of his coffee. "When's your next doctor's appointment anyways?" he suddenly asked.
Rachel stared at him, unsure of when the next appointment was. "I'm not sure. It was supposed to be four weeks after my four week appointment. If my calculations are correct that means it's this week," Rachel said with a panic that she totally forgot her next doctor's appointment.
"It's okay, Rachel, calm down. I'm sure they can still get you in," Kurt reassured as he handed her his phone to make the call.
"Thank you," Rachel said as she took it and quickly dialed the number to her doctor's office. "Hello, this is Rachel Berry and I would like to schedule an eight week prenatal appointment," Rachel said a bit nervous, hoping there would be an open spot.
"Okay, I understand, thank you," Rachel said a few minutes later. Kurt looked over at her in concern when she didn't say anything about booking an appointment. She took the phone off of her ear and placed it in on the table.
"No openings?" he asked.
"No actually they do but it's early Thursday morning, the morning of the showcase," Rachel said with even more stress on her face.
"They didn't have anything else?" Kurt asked, while Rachel shook her head no.
"That was the only thing available. As if I didn't need more stress than it is," Rachel commented as she placed her hands over her face, breathing deeply.
"I'm sure the appointment will not be that long, Rachel, and you'll have plenty of time to rehearse before the showcase in the evening," Kurt reassured as he came over to place a hand on her shoulder.
"Okay, you're right. I still have four days. I can do this," Rachel breathed deeply. While she was doing her breathing exercises, Will walked out of her room and looked at her with concern.
"Rach, what's wrong?" he asked as he sat down next to her at the table.
"I made an appointment for my next doctor's appointment and the only time they had open was Thursday morning before the showcase," Rachel explained.
"Well I'm sure you'll have enough time," Will tried to reason.
"I know but its more stress that I don't need," Rachel said and then suddenly put her hand to her mouth, feeling her gag reflex kick in.
"Rachel, are you okay?" Will asked with concern at her sudden pale face.
Without being able to answer, Rachel sprinted to the bathroom and ran to the toilet. Will followed quickly behind her while Kurt stayed in the kitchen.
"Rachel, it's okay. Breathe out your nose," Will said as he rubbed a hand over her back, trying to soothe her as she threw up in the bowl.
After a few minutes, Rachel finally calmed down and sat down on the tile floor to catch her breath.
"Here," Will said as he handed her a glass of water. Rachel took it from him and had a few small sips.
"Better?" he asked as she handed him back the cup. "A little," she whispered out, still feeling a bit nauseous and light headed.
"How can I throw up when I have nothing in my stomach?" Rachel asked as she finally stood up. Will held onto her hand as she regained her balance back.
"It's the baby, Rach," Will said.
"I know that but, it just comes out of nowhere," Rachel sighed. "I need mouth wash," she added as she went over to the sink and pulled the bottle out from underneath.
She poured herself a bit and swished it around in her mouth. She spit and then whipped the rest of the corner of her mouth.
"Let's go back into the kitchen. You need to rest on the couch and I'll make you something light," Will offered.
"Santana's still sleeping, I believe," she said.
"No I'm not," Santana said as she appeared behind the door to the bathroom. "You're puking woke me up," she added. "It's alright though," she said as she saw how grossed out Rachel looked and how uncomfortable it must have been.
"Thank you," Rachel replied, thanking her for not making a judgment. As they were walking out of the bathroom, the power shut off again, leaving them with a dimly lit room.
"Great," Rachel said as she made her way over to the couch.
"What are we supposed to do with another blackout?" Kurt asked, annoyed that this was the second time since the power went off.
"I don't know strip poker?" Santana laughed, while the others rolled their eyes.
"Come on, Santana," Will said with a look that said to grow up.
"What? We have nothing else to do," she said with a look of amusement.
"No offense but I don't want to look at any of my former students naked or almost naked," Will replied with a look of disgust.
"Except for one right?" Santana fired back as she glanced over to Rachel.
"Please can we move on from this?" Rachel begged as the conversation was turning awkward and unnecessary.
"Fine whatever, you two are so sensitive," Santana replied as she walked into the kitchen.
"Just ignore her," Kurt said with an annoyed look as well.
"Seriously though, what are we going to do? We don't know how long the power will be out," he said as he sat in the arm chair.
"Well we can't go outside. It's worse than yesterday," Rachel obviously stated. "We might as well just get comfy," she added as she pulled a blanket over herself.
"Well I'm going to make breakfast then," Kurt decided as a few moments passed. "Would anyone like to help?" he asked as he looked around the room of bored faces.
"Sure, why not," Santana said after contemplating for a few seconds. Will looked at Rachel with a slightly shocked expression that she was willing to help.
"I'll help too," Will added. "And I guess me too," Rachel said as she got up from the couch, following the others to the kitchen. She still felt a bit queasy but knew the feeling would pass eventually.
Kurt smiled and started telling them what to prepare. Rachel was in charge of the bagels and cream cheese, Santana had the fruit salad, and Will had to set the table. In about twenty minutes the table was set and the plates were being sat down.
Everyone found a chair and was quietly eating and enjoying the food until Rachel started to feel queasy again and stopped eating, getting the attention from the others.
"Rach, is everything okay?" Will asked as he noticed her stillness next to him.
"I'm fine, I just have some nausea still and light cramping is all," Rachel explained as she winced at the pain a bit.
"That doesn't seem like light cramping. Why don't you take some Tylenol or something?" Kurt suggested. "Yeah, I'll go get some for you," Will said as he saw Rachel try and stand. He quickly opened the cupboard and took two pills out from the bottle before placing it back in.
"Here," Will said as he handed them over to her. Rachel took them and swallowed them with a glass of her orange juice.
"Are you okay?" he asked a few seconds later, although he knew that Tylenol took a while to kick in.
"I should be," Rachel replied as she placed a hand over her stomach. "It just kind of came out of nowhere like my morning sickness," she said, confused.
"Well if it continues you should go to the doctor," Kurt commented.
"I am, remember?" Rachel reminded.
"Right, Thursday," he said. "If it still hurts before then, you need to go in early," he added.
"I know, I'll keep an eye out," Rachel reassured.
"Good and please let me know if something is uncomfortable for you," Will said as he sat back down next to her.
"I will, I'm sure this all just due to the stress of the showcase," Rachel said as she had been pushing herself for the past few weeks on this one performance.
"Okay, all the more reason to take it easy today," Will said as he kissed her forehead.
"Well it's not like we have anything else to do," Rachel said, but as she did the power flickered back on.
"Well that worked out perfectly," Santana said with a smile.
"I still want you to rest today, Rach," Will said as he grasped her hand in his.
"I will," Rachel replied as she leaned over and gave him a light peck on the lips. However, Rachel stopped again and grabbed her stomach.
"Rachel?" Will questioned as her face showed pain. "It's okay, it will pass. It just hurts," she said as she tried to hold back the tears. It was a sharper pain than before.
"If it hurts that bad, we need to go to the doctor," Will said as he rubbed her back.
"No, it's passing, I'm okay," Rachel reassured as she let out a few deep breaths.
"Are you sure?" Will asked as Kurt and Santana looked over in concern as well.
"I'm fine," Rachel said as she slowly stood up. "I think I might go take a nap though," she added as she let out a small yawn. Will nodded and watched her walk back to her room and pull the curtain around the entrance.
He sighed and helped Kurt clear the table. While he was cleaning, he couldn't help but think something was wrong. He couldn't place what it was but with Rachel's stomach acting up, he was getting worried that it was more than just cramps and morning sickness.
"I'm going to go Skype Blaine," Kurt said once they were done.
"Okay," Will said while he was still thinking about Rachel but once Kurt had left, he headed for the arm chair and continued to think while Santana sat across from him, lying on the couch.
"What's the worry, Papi Schue?" she asked as she noticed his concerned look.
"It's nothing," Will said as he looked at her. She was unconvinced though at his reply and pressed for more.
"I'm sure she's fine. This is all normal in the first trimester. Quinn would get sick all the time," Santana commented.
"Really?" Will asked in reassurance.
"All the time," Santana replied putting emphasis in every word. Will breathed out a little sigh of relief at her reply, feeling a bit better that Rachel's symptoms were just part of a normal pregnancy.
Feeling a bit better, he relaxed a bit and got up to get his laptop to educate himself more on pregnancy and symptoms so he could better understand what Rachel was going through. He hadn't done hardly any research but since he had nowhere to go with the weather, he had time.
Once he decided he had enough, he put his computer away and rubbed his tired eyes from staring at the screen so long. He stood up and stretched and decided to go check on Rachel, who was still asleep.
When he walked in, her eyes were closed but she looked uncomfortable and seemed to be wincing. Will watched her for a few minutes to see if she would relax but her face did not let up. Becoming concerned, he gently shook her causing her to stir awake.
"Rachel, do you feel okay?" Will asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"My stomach hurts a little," Rachel confessed as she placed a hand over her where her baby bump would be, rubbing it lightly.
"I think we should go to the doctor," Will replied in concern. While researching he read that severe cramping could be a sign of something being wrong with the baby.
"It's snowing out and it's going to take forever to get to the doctor," Rachel said, avoiding the doctor. She didn't want to admit that something was wrong.
"Rachel, if you're in pain, something could be wrong," Will commented, concern on his face.
"It's not that bad," Rachel replied with an unconvincing look.
"You've been having pain all morning and the Tylenol didn't help," Will said, sternly. "Last night you said you felt a cramp too," Will reminded.
"Will, I appreciate you worrying about me, but I'm fine," Rachel said as she leaned over to give him a kiss of reassurance.
"Okay, fine. I'll leave it alone, for now," Will said as he walked away, still a bit concerned that he should take her to the doctor.
He sat down frustrated at the table and tried to occupy his mind. He flipped through one of Kurt's fashion magazines that had been left on the table, but he had little interest.
About ten minutes later, he heard light whimpering from Rachel's bedroom and knew that something was wrong. He quickly got up and made his way to the bedroom to see Rachel curled up in a ball.
"Let's go," Will said as he helped her off of the bed. Rachel had trouble walking with the pain she was feeling so Will picked her up bridal style in order to move more quickly.
"What's wrong?" Santana asked as she looked at the two moving towards the door.
"Rachel's cramps are increasing," Will explained. "I'm taking her to the urgent care."
"I'm coming," Santana said. "Kurt get out here," she yelled causing Kurt to come out with a look of annoyance.
"What? I'm talking with Blaine," he said and then he noticed the pain on Rachel's face.
"We're going to urgent care," Will said.
"Oh, okay. I'm coming too," Kurt said as he didn't need an explanation. He quickly said his good-bye to Blaine and then joined Will and Rachel out the door.
Will quickly carried Rachel down the stairs and out onto the snow covered streets. It was still coming down hard, but Will knew he had to get her to the doctors before something drastic could happen. He didn't know the severity of Rachel's problem, but they needed to take precaution.
"It'll be okay, Rach," Will said before he noticed Rachel's eyes close tightly as she buried her head into his chest, gripping on for comfort. He quickly picked up his walking pace, looking for a cab to take them to the nearest urgent care.
As the snow was coming down rather hard, the number of cars on the road were limited. Deciding a cab was going to be hard to get, Will quickly told the others to head to the subway as they were rather close.
Quickly walking below ground, they made the train just in time in which Kurt told Will the closet urgent care around. Will smiled, grateful for his help and experience in the city. Santana stroked Rachel's hair as she was sweating heavily.
"She feels a little warm," Santana commented as she felt her forehead.
"We'll be to the doctors soon," Will reassured as he felt the train stop. Once the doors opened, he quickly walked back up to ground level with Kurt and Santana behind him.
"There," Kurt said pointing down the street to an urgent care that was at the end of the block.
"Come on," Will said as he powered through the snow with Rachel in his arms. Her eyes were still closed, trying to relax the pressure.
"Almost there," Will said as he began to sprint a little, making the distance shorter. Once he got to the door, he was a little out of breath but he opened the door and made his way to the front desk.
"We need help," Will said as the receptionist took both of them in.
"She's pregnant and experience severe cramps," Will explained.
"Is she in labor?" the receptionist asked.
"No, she's only in her first trimester," Will said, in concern.
"Okay fill out these forms and we'll get her in right away," the receptionist said as she pulled over a wheel chair for Rachel. Will placed her down and soon a nurse came over to wheel her back.
"Can I go with her?" Will asked as he held the forms in his hand. The nurse saw his plea and agreed for him to come.
"Thank you," Will said as he followed her, leaving Kurt and Santana to stand in the waiting room, both with worried faces.