A/N: Hi everybody. Thank you for the positive responsive to the last chapter! I got me really excited and so, here is a lead in into part two of this fic.


Part Two: Interlude

He winced in frustration as her phone went to the answering machine again.

"Emma… I know you probably hate me and I feel absolutely terrible though I can hardly imagine how you must feel. If you're even listening to these – just please call me back, okay? I miss you."

Dejectedly, Will placed his phone on the kitchen counter and shivered. The warmth he felt only a week ago, wrapped up in Emma's arms for whatever reason fate decided, had long since left him. He felt sorry for himself, but mainly for her. Will knew she was strong, but the only thing he could picture was hurt in her face when he made one of the worst choices of his life. Someone once told him that it gets better, but he wondered if you could ever really forgive yourself for ruining the most perfect thing the world had to offer. There was no bright side – no light at the end of the tunnel, just an impasse that he couldn't seem to shake.

His eyes focused on glass screen where he saw his reflection and he grimaced. He needed to shave - just anything to get his mind off of things. On a relaxed night like this he'd normally cook, but now a meal alone wasn't really a meal at all. It was nothing more than an empty feeling and a bottle of wine drown your sorrows, but he learned long ago that it just makes realize even more how much life sucks. He didn't want to be that honest with himself.

The doorbell rang unexpectedly, prompting him to fix his appearance hastily without any regard for formality. Changing into a clean shirt, he ran both hands through his hair and realized he needed a haircut as well, wondering how he had let himself go so easily. Sighing in frustration, Will walked through the living room into the foyer, his empty footsteps echoing behind. Looking through the peephole he tightened his jaw.

"Bryan…" Will opened the door reluctantly, a fake smile plastered on his face.

"Dude, you looked terrible! I thought you went to Europe or something." He laughed loudly, extending his arms for a 'bro hug.'

Will stepped back uncomfortably, following an awkward chuckle. "Yeah, well…"

Brushing past him obliviously, Bryan headed towards the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Will walked over soon after and leaned against arch way, folding his arms.

He felt like he should have expected this.

"I hope you didn't forget about the match tonight."

Running a hand over his face, Will shook his head. "Shit, I forgot." And he couldn't care less. Yet, an hour later her was slumped on his couch watching two guys go at in a ring on pay per view. He tried to feign interest but failed miserably.

"Dude - every time I look at you I feel like grabbing a beer. What the hell's going on?"

"This fight is terrible!" Will nearly jumped out of his seat in faux frustration over a boxing match he wasn't even attention to. Running two hands through hair, he gritted his teeth and fell back onto the couch with a thump. Why wasn't she responding to any of his calls? He felt so pathetic – nothing but groveling for days and she probably didn't even care.

He watched as Bryan stoop up, barely convinced. His friend wasn't stupid.

"Right." He raised his eyebrows with sardonic grin. "I'm going in the kitchen."

Will taped his foot anxiously and decided that this was a good enough time to take his last swig of beer. All he wanted was to relax and to forget about everything that happened.

But he could never be that lucky. Even back in his apartment in New York, she was there. He didn't release how long Bryan had been until he finally walked back into the living area.

"Did you grab me one?"

When Bryan brought his hand from behind him, Will expected a cool glass to fly in the air. Instead his iPhone fell in his lap, the lock screen clear as day and as taunting as ever.

Bryan twisted his cap before sitting on couch near him. "I see why you're so hung over this chick."

"You went through my phone, dude? Seriously?"

With an exasperated sigh, Will covered his face with his hands. Through his fingers, he peered at the screen in his lap which showed a picture of him and Emma at the Eiffel

Tower in the background, wondering how such a sad smile was so much closer to a world full of happiness than he had now.

"Your phone buzzed on the counter and I saw this hot girl on your screen so yeah." Bryan had a habit of being completely honest. "Now who's your girlfriend?"

Will quickly muttered a response. "She's not my girlfriend. "

"So just one night?" He smiled his knowing smile which quickly faded when he noticed the serious expression on Will's face.

"No."

As much as it pained to admit it, she was so much more. He wasn't an exposed guy when it came to his feelings but Emma made him want to pour his heart out and get swallowed in the sea that it turned into.

"Since when are you so modest? What happened in Paris, huh?" Byran punched his shoulder in a joking manner before continuing. "Unless you want to keep some secrets for yourself then I completely understand."

Will's jaw tightened. He was long finished with objectifying Emma. "Relax, dude. It's over."

"She totally into you."

He shook his head. "I don't think she wants to see me again to be honest."

"C'mon, Will – everyone wants to see you again." Bryan laughed once more, oblivious to Will's sincerity.

"I messed up." His hands flew in the air at the height of his breaking point. "Look, I'm done talking about this!"

He finally owned up to his mistake aloud and it was probably too late. If only he had taken things seriously too before with then all these frustrations would cease to exist. And if things had worked out in the beginning, he might have been well off. But now it seemed that Emma was the only thing that made him okay. Uncharacteristically, he heard Bryan get angry.

"Then do something about it!" His friend snapped back, defeated.

Silence.

Bryan got comfortable and started to turn the volume of the television up. "I don't know man, just find her, sleep with her again – whatever. All I'm trying to do here is watch a match and…"

Will began to slowly tune out every futile thing he said and focused on the one the thing that was worth listening to. Do something about it. He could find her – then they could start over. He would be a new and improved Will Schuester and she would love him so much more. Taking a deep breath, he unlocked his phone and began doing searches for the earliest flight to Ohio he could get. Will knew exactly where to find her.

x

Seven days. Three hours.

In retrospect it hadn't been that long. At least not long enough for Will to stop calling. Emma stared at the missed call icon for what felt the thousandth time, trying to gauge some kind of sensible reaction. She wasn't as angry as she could have been – maybe because it was obvious that he hadn't moved on because neither could she. Every single voicemail was another reminder of him and what he did and Emma couldn't bring herself to listen to any of them.

"Are you okay?"

"He called again." Emma's face fell slightly, garnishing a sympathetic smile from Shannon. She was going away again even though she wanted to stay and be support system for her friend, but Emma consistently refused.

Turning off her phone with on swift push of a button, she felt as though she turned off all of her problems. "Look, I'm not going to answer him. Hopefully he gives up soon and then everything will be, okay."

"Are sure you want him to give up, Emma?" Shannon placed a stack of neatly piled clothes into her suitcase. "I mean I think he's a no good bum, but you were really upset and you still are, Punkin."

Emma shook her head, "No. He's only trying so hard so he doesn't feel so bad about himself – I know, I'm a guidance counselor."

She watched as Shannon gave up on protesting and let out a sigh of relief. To keep her feelings aloof, her expression remained passive and Emma tried to look busy. Reaching beside her she grabbed a pile of travel brochures and began skimming through them with little interest, another vacation being the last thing on her mind. He eyes caught sight of a brochure with the words: "New York City," on the front. Without much resistance, her mind drifted to an old conversation with Will.

"You see I got cast for a role in this new Broadway show – " Will squeezed her hands in his own across the table. " – which I can't talk about yet, but I'm actually really excited."

Her lips curved into a smile because she had never heard him talk so passionately about something. They had finally found their niche together and even in a place so foreign, they had gotten into the routine of sharing coffee every morning. Taking a deep breath, she shrugged nonchalantly.

"I would love to come… you know, if you want me to."

Will's eyes widened. "Really? You would come all the way to New York to see me perform?"

She bit her lip nervously and nodded in reply. It'd be worth the trouble. She gazed into his hopeful expression and tilted her head to the side, wondering what he was thinking.

Finally his face broke into a mischievous grin.

"I could get you back stage if you wanted…" His smile quickly dissipated. "If we're still in touch."

Emma thought it was too early to not be positive. They had plenty of time to find a place in each other's lives.

"I hope we are. We could be, right?"

He let out an exasperated breath. "Emma, I…"

Now she knew why he couldn't finish that sentence. The way his voice faltered and the way his gaze fell spoke more than any promise of a blissful future. Emma let the pamphlet fall the duvet beside her and closed her fists tightly, almost clenching the denim of her jeans. She wanted to cry – no, really cry. In her mind she envisioned all the times she told her students the vulnerability that came with bottling up your feelings. It was like a shaking a champagne bottle too much and watching it explode, completely helpless.

"I might not be too fancy when it comes to relationships or the human mind, but I know you."

Emma's head popped up at her friend's words; they were litany of truth.

Shannon sighed. "You're upset so you're frustrated, I mean c'mon Emma – if ya don't want anything to do with Will, then just let him know."

She could tell Shannon was disappointed and she knew how much she cared. Emma may have needed to talk to him, but she didn't want to. Not until she found her center again. The world didn't revolve around Will. There was a time when she was sure that the brought together for a reason and that. In the end, all she wanted was for Will to love her as much as she loved him – and he couldn't that.

"I don't want to talk to him." Emma finally affirmed – her mind was set. "And I don't ever want to see him again."