**Author's Note…please forgive me for the lack of updates…I suffered from a bit of a writer's block but I think I've gotten it back and am super excited for this story to continue. I hope you like the characters I've created for this chapter and that will continue throughout the story…however long it may be. Your opinion means a lot to me so I'm begging you to please take a second and leave a review! EnjoyJ
After several hours in airplanes and airports, Will and Emma finally touched down in sunny Tampa. They grabbed their luggage in record time, quickly picked up their rental car and headed toward St. Petersburg. Will smiled at Emma's excitement as they drove through the busy city. This was her first trip to this part of Florida and she was so excited to be sharing this experience with Will.
Forgoing their original plans to head straight to his grandmother's retirement home, they opted to head to the beach house instead to drop off their bags and freshen up a bit. Will had yet to go into very many details about the house and Emma was expecting to find a small little cottage type place set back quite a bit from the ocean itself. She was stunned to find a large, elegant townhome when Will finally pulled into a driveway.
"Oh my god," Emma said, "is this it?"
"This is it," Will said excitedly.
"It's gorgeous."
"Come on," he said, "let's drop off our bags and go get Gram. I'll give you the fifty cent tour now and the grand tour when we get back."
"What's the fifty cent tour," she asked as the gathered up all of their belongings.
"Our bedroom, our bathroom and most importantly," he said, "our balcony."
"Wow," she said following him to the front door, "is your grandmother going to be okay with us sharing a room?"
"Absolutely," Will said fishing out his keys and opening the door, "I think she'd have a problem if we didn't. After you…just start climbing the stairs and keep going until you can't climb them anymore."
Emma gave Will a confused look and he gently nudged her to start climbing. He knew she would fall in love with the room the second she saw it. He stayed a step behind just so that he could hear her reaction. Her breathless, "Oh Will", said it all. He dropped their bags the second he stepped in the room and gathered her in his arms and kissed her silly.
"There's plenty more where that came from but can we please go get my Gram," he asked when they came up for air.
"Of course sunshine," she replied, "just give me a minute to touch up my makeup and we can go."
In record time, Emma freshened up and grabbed her purse and Will's hand. Together they headed down the stairs and back to the car. Driving back over the bridge, they maintained a course along the water as they headed toward the retirement community that Grace Schuester called home. The closer they got to their destination, butterflies began to swirl in Emma's stomach and her subtle fidgeting did not go unnoticed by Will. He simply took her hand in his and hoped that for the moment, it was enough to provide some comfort.
Will, on the other hand, was bursting with excitement to see his beloved grandmother and more importantly, to introduce her to the love of his life…finally. Pulling into the parking and finding a space proved to be a bit tougher than anticipated and then Will remembered that with the impending holiday…things were always a bit more crowded in Florida. He put the car in park and hopped out quickly, making his way to the passenger side. He opened the door and extended his hand for Emma's to take as she stepped out of the car.
"Ready," he asked excitedly kissing her forehead.
"I'm a little nervous," she replied taking a deep breath, the butterflies still fluttering away in her stomach.
"Hey," he said gently stroking her hair back behind her ear, "don't be. Gram has to be the coolest person I know. She's known about you for nearly three years and every time I talk to her, she asks me when I'm going to bring you down so she can meet you. Even when I thought I'd never be able to, she still asked. She's going to be so excited and I promise, she's not going to judge or criticize. She might ask if you'll help her cheat at poker but that'll be it."
"She really does sound like Sophia from the Golden Girls," Emma said with a giggle and reached up to straighten the collar on her sunshine's shirt.
"It's going to be great! You'll see," Will said kissing her quickly and then pulling her towards the entrance, "Come on! I can't wait to surprise her."
Emma was quite impressed that Will knew the blue prints of this place as well as he knew the halls of McKinley. Through their joined hands, she could feel his excitement to see his grandmother. That feeling confirmed what she already knew, Grace Schuester was a huge influence on Will and their bond was very special...much like the one she had with her own grandmother. Emma just hoped she lived up to Grace's expectations. She couldn't handle disappointing or hurting another member of the Schuester family, doing that to Will was already inexcusable.
"Stop worrying," he whispered as they approached the door, "everything is going to be fine."
"I can't help it," she said quietly, "I'm a worrier."
"Jellybean," Will said with a grin, his newly discovered pet name for her sounded wonderful. He pulled her off to the side gently and sat her down on a bench before kneeling before her and continuing, "I know you're a worrier. It's one of the things I love about you but this is one time where you really don't need to. If Gram were some crazy dragon lady then by all means…I'd want you to worry but she's not. I promise, this is going to be great and I'll be watching from the wings with my 'I told you so' just sitting on the tip of my tongue."
"I just don't want to disappoint her," Emma sighed.
"Disappoint her? Oh Em," Will said sympathetically, "she's going to be thrilled when she sees you. She's wanted to meet you for such a long time. She's going to love you…not as much as I do but still."
"I love you too," she whispered and leaned down to kiss him.
Will continued to stoop before her for a few minutes, allowing her the chance to collect herself before heading inside to seek out his grandmother. Their joined hands rested on her knees and he let his fingers lightly stroke her skin…not caring at all who might be watching out the door. As many times as he had been to this senior living community, he knew that somebody or somebodies would be watching them.
"Okay," Emma said taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, "I think I'm ready."
"Yeah," he asked with a smile. When she nodded, he pulled her up and into his arms. He held her there for a few more minutes not only because he wanted to comfort her but because he could hold her now, whenever he wanted to and he wanted to. "Babe, just so you know, there's an old geezer named Ben that's been watching us through the door."
"What," Emma said lifting her head from his chest.
"He's harmless but nosy," Will said rubbing her arms and then finally taking her hand. He laughed when he saw Ben run away from the door in a panic having been caught. "Look at that. He knows he's been caught. Watch him pretend to be the door greeter when we walk in."
Will opened the door, allowing Emma to enter first but he never let go of her hand. He smiled at the elderly man standing off to the side pretending to be busy straightening up several magazines that were scattered around.
"Hi Ben," Will said to the man, "how's it going?"
"Good afternoon and welcome to…," Ben said looking up nervously from the magazines. He knew he had been caught snooping, "well if it isn't Will Schuester. What in the world are you doing here?"
"Came to surprise Gram, soak up some sun on the beach," Will said sharing a smile with Emma and still holding her hand, "and I want her to meet somebody."
"Meet somebody," Ben said looking over at the beautiful red head hanging onto Will's arm, "is this…Emma?"
"This is Emma," Will said with a smile that reached from ear to ear.
"Nice to meet you," Emma said quietly but with a smile on her face.
"Emma, the Emma," Ben asked, eyes widening.
"The one and only," Will said proudly.
"Oh my goodness," the elderly gentleman said lovingly, "young lady, we've been waiting for quite some time for you to walk through the door on Will's arm."
Emma blushed and leaned into Will a little bit more than she already was. "It took me a bit but here I am," she said smiling up at Will, "and I'm here to stay."
"I'm glad and so happy for the both of you," Ben said, "Can I give you a bit of advice?"
"Sure," Will said winking at Emma.
"Never go to bed angry or think that your feelings aren't important," Ben said patting them both on their arms, "don't be afraid to speak your mind and be honest with each other. Oh and Will, she's always right."
"Good advice Ben," Will said, "we'll be sure to remember that."
"So what brings you to St. Pete," Ben asked trying to make small talk, already forgetting that he had asked and received an answer to that question.
"We wanted to get away from Lima for a bit and decided that this was the perfect place," Will said, "lots to do, the beautiful beach and of course…my Gram."
"Oh yes, Grace…speaking of…you better cut the chit chat with me and go find her," Ben said, "last I heard, she was in the common room but you know Grace...she can't sit still or stay in one place very long. Thank god your granddad never let her get her driver's license."
"Thanks," Will said smiling at his jellybean.
"It was nice to meet you," Emma said to Ben as she passed him.
"Likewise," Ben said with a wink, "and about damn time too."
"Will, how does he know who I am," Emma asked as they walked down the hall.
"Oh, um, he's sort of Gram's boyfriend," Will said, "but don't you ever tell my father that, he'll have a coronary. He's even more protective of Gram than I am."
"Your grandmother has a boyfriend," Emma asked with a tone of surprise in her voice.
"Sort of," Will said pointing to the corridor they were about to walk down, "Ben still has his driver's license and they are the buffet king and queen of this place. They love going out to eat and really seem to enjoy each other's company."
"It's cute," Emma said.
"You think that now," Will teased, "just you wait though; I guarantee that he'll want us all to go out to dinner before we leave and then you might change your mind on the cute thing."
The couple made their way down the hall and walked into the common room. They found his grandmother sitting at a table with several other people and a deck of cards. He walked up behind her with a smile on his face but brought his finger to his lips so the other residents wouldn't ruin the surprise. Emma took a step back to watch Will interact with his Gram for the first time.
"Hey pretty lady," he said resting his hands on her shoulders and chin on the top of her head, "you better not be cheating."
"Cheating. I don't know what you're talking about. I never…" she said absent mindedly before realizing her grandson was standing behind her and tilted her head back to meet his hazel eyes, "Will? What on earth are you doing here?"
"Hi," he said pulling her chair out for her so she could stand and hug her, "surprise!"
"Oh my goodness," she said pulling him into her arms, "it most certainly is!"
"How are you," he said, "ya look great!"
"Much better now that you're here. This was getting pretty boring," she said turning to her friends, "I fold. My grandson is more important than a deck of cards. Same time tomorrow?"
Grace Schuester's friends all smiled and waved at Will and began to whisper amongst themselves about the red head standing behind him and Grace's failure to notice her just yet.
"So, what's new with you? I want all the details about your trip to New York. You didn't say too much when we talked last," Grace said turning and taking her grandson's arm.
Will was already gazing lovingly at Emma just waiting for his Gram to take notice she was standing there. They got two or three steps away from the table before Grace looked up and saw the beautiful red head standing before her. "Oh my god...is this...is this Emma?"
Emma stood there quietly, biting her lower lip not sure if she should say something or if Will was going to. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the Schuester matriarch's eyes light up at the mere sight of her. Emma looked over at Will and saw the tears pool in his eyes. She knew that he had been waiting for this moment for quite some time.
"Gram," he said clearing his throat and sharing a loving smile with Emma, "this is Emma."
"And are you...," Grace asked hesitantly.
"We are," he said reaching for Emma but not letting go of his Gram, "and there's a 50/50 chance now that when you call the apartment, she'll answer."
"Oh...oh," Grace said with a nudge and a grin for her grandson.
"Get your mind out of the gutter old lady," Will teased giving her a wink and a squeeze.
"Well don't just stand there, William," Grace said laughing with her grandson, "aren't you going to introduce us?"
"Em...this is my Gram...Grace Schuester," he said as she walked to him and leaned up against him, "Gram...you obviously know who this is."
"Hi there," Grace said reaching to hug Emma, "you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment."
"Will's told me so much about you," Emma said accepting her hug and not fighting the lone tear of joy that trickled down her cheek, "I got a little lost along the way but I'm so glad to finally be here."
"Me too," Grace said stepping back and held her at arm's length, "you're even more beautiful in person. Will, you didn't tell me she was so tiny though."
"I guess I never paid too much attention to the height difference," Will said blushing and looking down at his feet.
"No...you're too lost in her eyes," Grace said picking up on the fact that her friends were sitting there snickering behind her back, "and that's a good thing. We'd better get out of here...these old geezers have probably turned their hearing aids on high so they can hear us. The whole place will know you're here in a matter of minutes."
"I'm sure they already do," Will said squeezing his grandmothers hand, "your boy toy was pretending to be the greeter when we walked in."
"Oh dear god," Grace said waving her hand in the air, "I'll deal with him later."
"Do you think they'd let me bail ya out of here for a couple of days so you can stay at the house with us," Will asked as they made their way out of the common room and into the corridor. He felt so proud to have his grandmother hanging on to one arm and the love of his life holding his hand. Emma could sense his joy and leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked.
"Oh I can't imagine it being a problem," Grace said, "Helen from next door went to Disney World with her grandkids today. We'd just be going across the bridge."
"I'll go ask real quick," Will said as they approached Grace's room, "it'll give you ladies a chance to get acquainted and talk about me for a bit."
Will winked at his grandmother and kissed Emma's head as he walked to the offices.
"Well Miss Emma," Grace said taking her hand and pulling her into her room, "come on in. This has to be the best surprise I've gotten in a while."
"I'm glad," Emma said quietly following her into the room which was much larger than she anticipated and very homey, "This is lovely."
"Will helped me decorate," she said sitting down in her recliner, "he's really good at that."
"I know. We've had so much fun fixing up the apartment with all of our things," Emma said sitting down in the chair next to her, "he talks about you all the time."
"He talks about youall the time," Grace said, "he loves you so much that you could ask him a million questions about himself and he find a way incorporate you in the answer."
"Mrs. Schuester," Emma started to say.
"Please," Grace said holding up her hand and shaking her head, "it's Grace. Mrs. Schuester was my mother in law and I couldn't stand the woman."
"Grace," Emma said with a giggle, already liking this woman very much, "I...um...don't quite know what all Will has told you but..."
"Everything," Grace said, "he's told me everything. From the time he put chalk on your nose to the sports car to the dentist to the sweater vest...that however is the last thing he told me. I'm assuming things changed shortly after that?"
"Yes," Emma said looking down at her hands, "I want you to know that I never wanted to hurt him. I was just so scared of so many things that I messed up...big time."
"Sometimes we have to mess up and come pretty damn close to completely losing it to realize what it is we really want," Grace said reaching over to pat Emma's arm, "Will made mistakes too but you found your way back to each other and that's what really matters."
"He tried so hard," Emma said shaking her head, "he never gave up on me or us."
"Will has never been one to give up on something he's so passionate about," Grace said, "he might make a few wrong turns every once in a while but it doesn't take much to get him back on track. I mean the last thing I heard from him was he was going to take a crack at Broadway and now he's here introducing you to me. So clearly his passion is and always will be you."
"He just told me he came here for Christmas break," Emma said changing the subject a bit to avoid the tears that she certain would eventually fall anyway.
"Let me tell you about that," Grace said, "the boy was here for four whole days before I even knew it. When he finally did come and see me...he was a mess. He looked like he hadn't slept in ages. I think it's safe to say he looked like death. There for a minute I thought he might stay here for good but he said he needed to be in Lima just in case you needed him. He held on for a year Emma. If that's not love, I don't know what is."
"I did need him," Emma said looking down at her hands, "but up until recently, I didn't tell him that. My grandmother, who knew just about as much about Will as you do about me, died in early December. I didn't tell Will...I should have but I didn't. If I had told him he would have done everything in his power to take care of me but..."
"The dentist," Grace said gently.
"He was never very fond of Will. He knew how Will felt about me and about our history. They couldn't be in a room together without something being said. I didn't think I could have handled an argument between the two of them at a time like that and so I didn't say anything," Emma said tearing up, "but it was Will I wanted...it was Will I needed."
"Well honey, you've got him. You've got all of him," Grace said, "and as much crap as you two put each other through this past year, you never stopped loving each other."
"I know," Emma said with a sniffle, "he told me just before we left this morning that as miserable and unhappy as he was, had he known about my grandmother he never would have come here for Christmas. He would have stayed close just in case…"
"That's my grandson," Grace said proudly, "I have to tell you Emma, in the few short minutes I've seen him, before he abandoned us to post my bail, he's the happiest I've seen him in quite some time. He's back to being the Will he was before Terri drained the life out of him. There have been glimmers of the old Will in the last few years and they've always been associated with you. I can't thank you enough for that. That's also when I knew you were the one for him and I think that's when he realized it too."
"I love him so much," Emma said quietly.
"I know you do and I know that the feeling is quite mutual," Grace said, "you do know that he can be pretty stubborn, right?"
"Yes," Emma said with a giggle, "and we've talked about having ups and downs and getting into arguments."
"Have you talked about his dreams," Grace asked, "and I don't mean his goals, I mean the dreams he had at night, while he was sleeping? The dreams he did everything under the sun to stay awake at night to avoid because they were too real and as much as loved them, hurt too much?"
"He isn't the only one who dreamt about us or tried to avoid dreaming about us," Emma said looking down at her hands, "and yes, we've shared a few of them. We talked about starting a notebook to write them all down in and cross them off as we accomplish them. The idea kind of spiraled off of the journal I started to keep a while back."
"You know," Grace said, "that might not be a bad idea."
"What," Emma asked.
"Keeping a joint journal," Grace said, "it'd be a great way for you two to share your dreams and your feelings. You could keep it in a night stand or something and just pass it back and forth between you whenever you see fit."
"Hmmm," Emma said with a smile, "I like that idea."
"Talk it over with Will. I'm pretty sure he'll take to the idea too," Grace said with a wink, "so…have you guys been to the house?"
"We have," Emma said, "we went there first so we could drop off our luggage and freshen up. It's gorgeous."
"It will be yours and Will's one day," Grace said, "you know, when I kick the bucket."
"Gram, how many times do I have to tell you not to talk like that," Will said walking into the room.
"I'm old Will," she said, "my bucket is rusting."
"We'll get you a new one," he said kissing her cheek and then moving over to the chair Emma was sitting in. He gently pulled her out of the chair and sat down in her place before pulling her back into his lap, "so which one of my horrible childhood stories did you tell Emma about?"
"She didn't," Emma said wrapping her arm around Will's shoulders, "but we just got here."
"Yeah, there's plenty of time for me to tell her some good ones," Grace said, "so did the warden accept the bail?"
"Yep," Will answered cuddling with Emma, "as soon as you can get some stuff together for a few days, we can head on out. I talked to Ben on the way back. We've got a double date planned on Wednesday. He said something about it being a BOGO night at this one restaurant. Is that okay with you two?"
"Sounds wonderful," Emma said kissing his forehead and then whispered in his ear, "what's a BOGO?"
"Buy one get one," Will whispered back as his grandmother got up from her chair and walked over to her closet, "I think."
"That's exactly what it is, sunshine," Grace said pulling out a small suitcase, "Ben knows where all the good meal deals are."
"I know but he better not be taking us to that place attached to the bowling alley," Will said, "that place is really gross and I don't want to take Emma there."
"I'll make sure it isn't," Grace said winking at Emma. Will informed her years ago of Emma's issue with things having to be really clean. "Speaking of…was the house okay? It wasn't too dusty was it? I wasn't expecting you so I didn't call the cleaning service to come spruce it up."
"It's fine Gram," Will said, "I didn't trash the place too bad when I was here at Christmas."
"I wasn't talking to you," Grace teased, "Emma, is there anything that needs to be done? I can get someone over there in a jiffy."
"No, it's just fine," Emma said, "thank you. I can't wait to get the full tour when we get back."
"You didn't take her on a tour…Will," Grace said, "what's wrong with you?"
"We were in a hurry to get here," he said looking over at his grandmother who was standing there staring at him with her hands on her hips, "are you gonna pack or what? We've been travelling all day and I want to get back to house and kick my feet up."
"I'm packing…I'm packing," Grace said moving about her living space. She tried to make small talk with Will and Emma but it was clear they were lost in their own little world, making plans for the days to come. Rather than interrupt them, she continued about her business and finished rather quickly. Turning to inform them she was ready to go, she found them locked in an embrace sharing the first of many kisses they would share in not only her presence but throughout their vacation and for many years to come.
"Okay you two," Grace said finally interrupting them, "the way I see it, you've got two choices. We can stay here and you can have every eye in this place watching you make out like a couple of teenagers from that high school of yours or we can get out of here and you can make out in a house where an entire floor will separate you from the other person in the place. It's up entirely up to you."