Beautiful Mess

by anzafire

SERIES COMPLETE Will and Emma are married, Glee club is blossoming and everything is going great...until they discover they're having a baby! Journey of the pregnancy, birth and months afterwords.

10. Interlude

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READ FIRST

I hate author's notes in the beginning of chapters, but real fast - this is an interlude "How we got here" type deal, not a plot-related chapter. There are ten parts. If you are skipping this and waiting for the real chapter ten, please scroll down to at least part ten (X), where a piece of essential plot is located.

SMUT/FLUFF WARNING

Interlude: Smile // Uncle Kracker

I: Hangovers and Sunshine

It was by accident that Will moved into Emma's condo. Perhaps it wasn't an accident, but it was something that neither of them intended as they discussed where their relationship stood on the friday after they kissed. Taking it slow. Of course. Will hadn't even found a lawyer for the divorce yet. Slow was their only option.

So on saturday morning when Emma was woken up by the sounds of something banging in the kitchen, she felt a panic attack coming on; she'd never had an intruder in her home before...should she try to attack? Call 911 first? What if he heard her and tried to kill her? Oh God. Cautiously she crept out of bed, noticing she was still in the same purple top and white skirt she'd worn to school the day before...she never went to bed without showering and most certainly never in the clothes she'd worn in the filthy school all day...what the hell was going on? She stumbled in the hallway, vision spinning, but...it didn't seem like a panic attack...

"Em?" She heard from the kitchen.

Pausing for a brief moment to wonder who would call out to her while robbing her blind, Emma made her way to the entrance of the kitchen, "Will? What are...why are...?"

He set the frying pan he'd taken out down, closing the distance between them, "Last night?"

Her eyes widened, "Oh, God, what did we do?"

He laughed, bringing her to sit at the small table, "Nothing except polish off an entire bottle of Bailey's and I'm pretty sure we watched Dead Poet's Society. I don't know when we passed out, but I woke up at six and you were next to me on the couch, so I put you in bed and fell back asleep, I wasn't sure if I should be driving."

"Oh. Then I guess it's a hangover, not a panic attack."

Will laughed again, then resumed his work on breakfast, "Sorry for going through your kitchen. I figured you'd be waking soon and probably be hungry."

"N-no, it's fine! I don't mind. It's been a long time since someone's made breakfast for me."

Me too, Will thought, but didn't say. He didn't want Emma to think he was constantly comparing her to Terri—he was, but thus far, it had all been positive—and he didn't want to bring her up at all if he could avoid it. Emma was helping him sort some things out, but she had made it very clear that she wouldn't be able to be a very objective help.

"Want coffee?" He asked, watching her wince at the light.

Emma shook her head and asked him to repeat the question, "Uh, yeah...Sorry, I'm not processing much right now."

Will handed her a steaming cup, "Here you go, sunshine."

She thanked him and watched as he stirred something, "What exactly are you making?"

"Pancakes. I'm hoping they turn out just as good with soy milk as regular. I've never made them like this before."

"I'm sure they taste the same. I mean...it's been a solid twenty-two years since I've eaten them...so I don't really...know. I don't keep any syrup though, sorry."

"And why is that?" He asked, feeling he already knew the answer.

She flushed, "Too sticky. Too messy."

Will smiled at her, "No problem. I'm not a fan anyways. I usually just have butter or nothing."

Emma sighed, "I don't have butter either," He gave her an eye which made her giggle, "It's essentially hardened milk!"

He poured the mixture into even sized circles in the pan, "Understood," He said, "What else don't you eat? I don't want to make you something that'll make you sick."

"Um...You might have noticed this a long time ago, but I don't eat red meat...and I only buy organic poultry. I'm not against fish, but the smell makes me, uh...sick. So I don't eat that either."

"And nothing remotely unhealthy," He joked, selecting two plates from the cupboard.

"Well, they put so many preservatives into everything, you can hardly blame me. My suite mate and I did an experiment in college." Will eyed Emma, imploring her to continue, "We took a Twinkie from the snack bar and left it on a shelf—where I wouldn't have to look at it—from September until May. It looked exactly the same. It was hard on the outside, but she broke it open and the inside was still soft. I just feel that food is supposed to spoil, and if it doesn't, then it's not food."

"You're probably right." He shrugged, "I don't know. Ever since I moved away from home I've been living on pizza and sandwiches. I can cook, but it was never received well." Emma gave him a look to explain, "Terri...whined about everything. It didn't matter if actually was good. There was always something to complain about. We ate out, a lot."

Emma took a swig of coffee, "I don't eat out, ever. Commercial kitchens are horrifying and I don't like eating anything prepared by someone else. Especially someone I don't know."

"But you're okay with me making you something?" He asked, flipping the fluffy circles of batter over.

"You're different, Will. I don't know why. You just seem...safe. The first day I met you, you touched my shoulder...and...I didn't freak out or want to change my shirt. No one else can...touch me or...make me feel really comfortable the way you do."

Will smiled, moving the finished pancakes onto a plate and pouring several more, "You need to be able to trust somebody. I'm glad you picked me."

She felt her face heating up again, taking in the sight of him making her food. It was the first meal someone had made for her since she was home over summer break the year before. A few minutes of comfortable silence passed before Will set a plate of steaming pancakes in front of Emma and sat adjacent to her.

"What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" He asked, hoping she had no plans for the following week.

"I was going to Virginia to see my parents," Emma sighed, cutting her pancakes, "But I think I'm just going to hang around here. I don't want to drive all that way for one day. Maybe I'll go over Christmas break."

"I'm not doing anything either. I don't really want to face my family yet..." She nodded in understanding, also feeling as though she wasn't ready to face her sister, the only one who somewhat knew of the events in the Ken saga, "Want to spend the day with me?"

She smiled brightly, "I'd love to...wait, you haven't told your parents about the..." Emma didn't like saying divorce, it felt like she was the one who caused it when she did.

"No...I haven't. I was planning on doing that tomorrow night. They'll probably be pretty suspicious when they come over and I'm alone. I just don't want..." He paused and sighed, "My parents almost got divorced three or four times when I was a kid, but they always worked it out. I don't want them to be upset with me for not trying to work it out."

"Okay, well," she chewed and set her fork down, making eye-contact with Will, "Here's the thing. I don't know your parents and I don't know the circumstances. I do know, however, that when a couple decides to stay together when they clearly aren't able to work past differences, it's usually for the sake of their kids. You and Terri don't have kids, and I know that was probably really insensitive of me to say, but in this case, there's no one person keeping you together."

Will soaked up the information, flashing back to his parent's drunken arguments and raging fights, which often revolved around his well being. He thought about the countless times he and Terri had screamed at each other over nothing. Emma was right, Terri was right. He had one foot out the door and he had only pulled it back in when she told him she was having his baby. But that was gone now, there wasn't anything, not one tiny particle of emotion holding their relationship together. All the events and feelings had repelled them apart.

"I-I probably shouldn't have said th-that, s-sorry, I—"

"No, you're right, Em. The truth is, it was going to be difficult to stay with her even if the baby hadn't happened. Things were not going well, at all," He shook his head, he didn't want to keep telling his hopefully-soon-to-be-girlfriend all of this, but he couldn't help it. She was so willing to listen, even if it meant being compared to, "She never supported any of my decisions. She never thanked me for anything I did for her, she always found something wrong with everything." He paused, staring at the place on his finger where the skin was slightly lighter from years of wearing a wedding band, "She told me that our marriage worked because I didn't feel good about myself."

Emma gasped, "That's not...Will, you're...How could...She's wrong," She finally stated after sputtering, "You have so much to feel good about. You're a great teacher, you love what you do. You're making the Glee kids so much happier, helping them grow and reach their full potential and you're a great performer and..."

Will set his fork down and slid next to her, pulling her close as she continued to babble good things about him, "Thank you, Emma." She stiffened at first, they hadn't shared a lot of physical contact over the past week. She was realizing that if this was going to continue, it would be something she would have to get used to. "Even if you don't realize it, you are just about the only person that has made me feel anything good over the past three months. You kept encouraging me and helping me...just listening to me. You make me feel good about myself."

Emma returned his embrace at last, "You deserve to, Will. You've been through so much, you've done so much." Will was happy he was able to touch her without worrying about her reaction; they had spoken the night before on how she might not always be comfortable with everything he wanted to do; they wound up on the floor, laughing, and he knew they would be okay.

He pulled away, staring into her brown eyes, "You deserve it, too."

"No I don't," She whispered, looked away and took a deep breath before continuing, "Will, I'm going to be very, very honest right now. I can't expect that you're not going to be mad at me, but you have a right to know."

"Alright," He said, turning her cheek slightly with his fingers so she was looking at him again.

"I-I...When Terri was playing nurse she, um...she came into my office. She told me that I had no chance with you and that I should stop trying...and she said all this stuff and I...I told her that you deserve a lot better then her," Emma searched his eyes for anger, finding none she continued, "And she told me to stay away from you...and to marry Ken because that's the only chance I would ever have and...she made me think about things...and I realized that...I...had been wanting, hoping that something would happen that would break the two of you up and I started to feel so awful and...and..." She was trying very hard not to cry, "And I thought that if I married Ken then all of the feelings would go away, because they would have to. But they weren't. And then we danced together and we kept talking and spending more time together...and, I'm sorry." The last word fell off her lips as a few tears leaked from her eyes. Will wiped them with his thumbs and pulled her close again.

"I'm not mad at you. The truth is, that even though I wasn't actually doing anything, there were times when it felt like I wasn't emotionally in a relationship with Terri. When we were dancing, God, Em. It just felt so right. You looked so amazing and all I could think about was how I wanted to be the one who would make you happy; I wanted to be the one to share that dance with you on your wedding night. I always liked you, Emma. You became my best friend, and then...things started to go wrong in my head and you were becoming more then just my best friend, but you couldn't be because I was married—"

The guilt she felt by his admission caused her to start shaking with tears, "I'm sorry, Will! I'm so sorry! I tried so hard to control the way I felt about you, I didn't want to be the reason you left and I didn't want to make you feel anything towards me you shouldn't."

"Hey, hey. Listen, you are not the reason that I left. But now that I am gone, I can sit here, holding you, making you breakfast and telling you all sorts of things I never dreamed I would. I don't want you to think that anything you did or didn't do had an effect on my marriage. It was crumbling on it's own, and what Terri did just finally broke it. You are my best friend and I don't want you to think for a second that you are a rebound girl, you are way to good for that, Emma. You are so much more than..." Will paused, realizing he was about to admit things she wasn't ready to hear, "I want to tell you everything I feel about you, but I don't think we're ready for that if we want to take it slow."

Emma sat quietly, sniffing up her tears as she contemplated his words.

"Em?"

"I've dreamed about this," He smiled into her hair, listening to her continue. "I've thought about you holding me for so long. I've wondered what it would feel like, to let you touch me in ways that I haven't let others. I never thought it would really happen."

Emma shifted out of the embrace to meet his gaze again. Will cupped her cheek, her eyes closed softly against his hand, "Emma? Can I kiss you?"

"Please," She near-whimpered as he leaned in, gently pressing his lips against hers. It wasn't long before her arms wound around him, holding their faces close. The kiss was slow and sweet for the first few seconds, but once she moved one leg over the side of his body, it quickly became a fiery battle of fingers across one another's backs and through hair, tongues fighting to out-do each other as his slipped past her lip, noses bumping and for a brief moment, Will could have sworn he felt her breasts pressed firmly against his chest.

She pulled away first, eyes half closed and a happy smile on her face; the realization that the speed of their relationship was a symbol of the kiss. She knew it wouldn't be long before she was waking up next to him, whispering all kinds of promises of love and eternal devotion.

---

II: Warmth

The first week of December was calling for record low temperatures. Will had been staying at Emma's since the end of the week previous; as Kendra's mother-in-law would need the bedroom Terri had been using at her place over Thanksgiving. His ex-wife had claimed she wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch so he could have the bedroom, but he flat-out stated he wouldn't be living in the same house as her. When Terri asked where he was staying, he simply said, "Emma's," and hung up the phone with a satisfied smirk.

Terri was going back late on monday, and as sunday evening rolled its away around, Will found himself not wanting to leave Emma's small condo.

He was sleeping on the couch at her insistence, claiming that it wasn't appropriate to share the same bed if he wasn't officially divorced, although the papers were coming. Emma knew that with Will, one thing often led to another and neither of them were able to stop themselves once they got something started.

Emma shivered as she stepped out of her bedroom and padded to the thermostat near the television, bumping it up a few degrees and telling herself the heating bill would be worth it. Will turned off the news and motioned for her to come sit next to him, "Maybe if you put on some pants you wouldn't be so cold."

"I hate pants."

Will let out a hearty laugh, "Now this I have to hear."

Emma fiddled with a loose thread on one of the yellow throw pillows on the edge of the couch, "Sorry, there's no mentally scaring moment that ruined my ability to wear them, I just don't like them. They rub in all the wrong places and they're clingy and...I just don't like pants." She rubbed her shoulders in attempt to warm herself, but found Will's arms much more effective as he wrapped her into them, "Mm, much better."

Will pressed a kiss to her forehead and sighed contently, holding her for the better part of an hour before finally announcing, "We have work tomorrow." She removed herself from his arms and sighed, "And I think it might be suspicious if we both took a sick day."

Emma kissed the tip of his nose, one of her new favorite things to do, "I'm going to go take a shower."

"Need help?" He asked with a sexy smirk that nearly made her melt.

"I think I'll manage on my own." Will caught her around the middle as she attempted to stand up, "Will—"

He silenced her with a kiss, sweet and soft, which made her close her eyes and rest her hands on his shoulders. It was short, he pulled away watching her eyelashes flutter back open. Will stroked the hem of her baby blue skirt, "Go on."

Her words were caught in her throat as his thumb continued to tease the fabric near her exposed knee. She felt something sweep over her and it took every ounce of self-control she had not to give into the feeling.

Twenty minutes later Will heard the blow-dryer going and smiled, shifting to his feet and strolling into her bedroom to wait for Emma to finish. She never went to bed without a shower, and she never took a shower without drying her hair, which she didn't really like him touching yet. She would instinctively brush it shortly after he did. She also didn't seem to be terribly comfortable with his hand on her lower back, as she would move compulsively, and he supposed she wasn't even aware she fidgeted. It was going to take a lot of patience to get used to things he couldn't change, and lots of practice with those he could.

When he heard the blow drier shut off and the sounds of Emma unplugging and neatly wrapping the chord, he sat up. She stepped out of the bathroom and sighed when she caught him on the edge of her lavender bedspread, "Can't be away from me for ten minutes?" She laughed.

"Actually it was thirty-two. And yeah, I missed you." Emma caught his eyes trailing to her pink plaid pajama bottoms, "So you do wear pants?" She padded to the closet, which was organized first by type then color, and dug around until she found something for the following day.

"Only for sleeping in the winter. It's always freezing in this place. I'll sleep with six blankets and still be cold."

She smoothed out a dark green skirt and he stood behind her, "What do you wear to sleep in the summer?" He asked with a purr in his voice.

"Guess you'll have to stick around long enough to find out," She teased, winding her way around him with a giggle, resting her head on his chest.

"Oh, I plan on it," He rubbed her back gently, "Can we talk about something, though?"

Emma tilted her head and nodded, "S-sure."

He walked them back to her bed, sitting her to face him, "Emma, I know it's only been two whole weeks."

She sighed, knowing where this conversation was headed, he had tried to hold back the words he wanted to say since the hangover incident, but she knew he would say them long before their relationship was ready to hear the phrase.

"I know we're not ready for this yet. But I want to tell you, if you'll let me?"

When he asked for permission, she knew she was smitten. While it had only been two weeks of somewhat legal touches and kisses, it had been two years of unsaid promises. Two years of knowing looks and longing glances, two years of brief grazes and almost-hugs, two years of deep conversation and unwavering trust. Emma nodded, maybe they were ready, "Say it."

"Emma, I love you."

She bit her lower lip, she couldn't remember the last time she had said the three small words and meant it, but if the past two weeks were any indication of how well their relationship would work, she was sure she actually believed the words she whispered, "I love you, too, Will."

He kissed her roughly, pushing her onto the bed, feeling her respond by wrapping an arm around his neck and her fingers up the bottom of his hair. He smiled into the kiss and pulled away suddenly, staring at her form, natural, no makeup, hair dry but not done. "You are beautiful, Emma." Her cheeks flushed to match her pink pajamas and she pressed him down on top of her, feeling his warmth envelop her. Emma stroked his jawline, unsure of what to say.

"Now what?" She finally breathed, "Where do we go from here?"

Will sat them up, "I have an appointment tomorrow, with a lawyer. We're supposed to figure some things out. The plan is to have the paperwork done before Christmas."

"We really shouldn't be very open about this, then. I don't know how much she wants, but Terri could get a lot out of it if she can claim that you were having...you know, an affair."

He agreed, "We'll be careful at school...speaking of which, I'm going to use the shower." He kissed her forehead, "Try not to miss me too much."

Emma laughed. She wanted this. Will's constant desire to be around her, his random thoughts and kisses and touches. They didn't need months to sort things out like she originally guessed. They only needed each other, things would sort themselves out in the months that were ahead.

As the night drifted on, Emma found her bed cold as always, but after the previous admission, she felt it didn't have to stay that way. She wandered to the living room, leaning her arms over the back of the couch and watched as Will's chest rose and fell. "Hey," She said quietly, arms sliding down to stroke his cheek. Will squinted one eye open, "I'm cold. Want to come warm me up?" Emma tried not to not to laugh as he nearly jumped off the couch, but when he tripped on the leg of the coffee table, she couldn't hold it in, "Oh, Will," She giggled, reaching to steady him, threading their fingers together.

He followed her into the bedroom, looking slightly apprehensive, studying her as she rolled over to make room for him next to her. With a happy smirk, he slid himself under the blankets, switching to his side to take in the sight of her face, bringing her tiny frame closer to him, "Warmer?"

Emma nodded, finding his fuzzy chest—now understanding how he could sleep without a shirt on in December, he was his own furnace—a comfy pillow, "Much better."

---

III: Papers

Will held Terri's small frame close to him for the last time after they signed the final papers declaring their marriage null. She was crying and apologizing to him for everything she had done over the course of the fifteen years they knew each other. She wasn't asking for his love or to rip up the paperwork. She didn't ask for a kiss goodbye, and he had even surprised himself when he hugged her.

"I'm sorry things ended up this way," She said at last after freeing herself of all the sins she had owned up to.

"Me too," He whispered, pulling her away to meet her blue eyes, wiping the tears with his thumb, "But you'll be fine. I'll be fine."

The two walked solemnly to the parking lot, "So you're living with Emma then?" Will nodded, flipping his keys on their ring before writing Terri off forever. Her gaze darted to the concrete as she sighed, "She deserves you."

"She does," He agreed, "Listen, Terri, I've got to go. I don't know how long it will be until the next time I see you. I don't hate you, but I can't...be around you any more."

"I understand," She looked down, biting her lip, he noted it wasn't as cute as when Emma did it, "I'll be around though, if you forgot something...or...just want to talk."

He let her touch his cheek softly and pat his shoulder before speeding away in his little blue car, a pop tune playing quietly, but for once, he wasn't thinking of how he could rearrange it for the Glee kids.

Emma watched as Will entered her condo with a peaceful expression, although she wasn't sure if she could call it happy. She knew the official paperwork was in the laptop case he had slung over his shoulder. His five year marriage with Terri was finally resolved.

She approached him silently, removing his bag and helping him out of his coat before holding him close. As glad as they both were that his previous relationship was officially undone, it was still hard on Will to think that someone he thought he would spend the rest of his life with had walked out. Emma wasn't jealous or upset, however, she wanted to help him through it anyway she could. If that meant listening to him cry over old wounds or the new arrangements, although he was happy about their current living situation, she would.

Will wasn't crying now, he was simply allowing Emma to keep her arms around him, his slowly found their way around her, "Thanks, Em." Quinn popped out of the kitchen; she was having dinner with them for the third night that week. She knew where he had been and found herself hugging him as well. He smiled, feeling her baby bump brush against him as she stepped out of the embrace.

Emma observed the silent exchange, glad Will didn't think it was strange that she kept inviting the younger girl over. Not only did Quinn need real food in her system, but Emma was convinced she needed to learn how to cook as well.

Quinn found herself happy to spend time with her red-headed guidance counselor, trying to figure out patterns in her obsessive behavior and understanding why she did what she did. After she finally found the courage to ask such a sensitive question, Emma had told her the story of the dairy farm that evening before Will came home. This newfound knowledge seemed to take some of the awkwardness of hanging out with her teachers away from Quinn; the fact that Emma was willing to divulge one of her best kept secrets made her feel honored, trusted and closer to the adult then before.

Will watched as the ladies retreated to the kitchen, the idea of his best friend and student making him dinner was the only thought that nearly brought him to tears; even his former wife wouldn't have done that.

"So, what's for dinner?" He asked, snapping out of his semi-depressed state and taking a peek over Emma's shoulder, pausing behind her to run a hand along her side and place a kiss on her cheek.

"Chicken and rice," She moved, causing his hand to slip from her side to her behind. Squeaking into laughter, Emma turned to face Will with one of the prettiest smiles he had ever seen from her.

"Sorry," He laughed, "But it doesn't seem like you minded all that much." Emma pursed her lips together and tried to look mad, but she just looked even more adorable then she already did. Surrendering to his charm, she planted a kiss on his cheek and moved to assist Quinn in removing the vegetables from the steamer and placing them in a bowl.

As they ate, Quinn complained about her math teacher and attempted to persuade Will to get the creepy old man fired, which helped his mood lighten even more. Emma waited for as long as she could, but finally she asked, "Is everything alright? Are you alright?"

"I'm better then I thought I would be. Terri," He honestly hoped this would be the last time he would have to bring her name up in Emma's presence, "Is accepting it. She was happy to keep the apartment, though." Emma looked down, she had been feeling bad for Terri over the past few weeks, knowing that the blonde had no one to return home to for a long talk or just a hug after their attorney meetings. Every time he mentioned anything to do with his previous marriage, she wanted to fall apart and apologize for things she couldn't understand why she felt guilty about. "I told her I don't have any intention of seeing her or talking to her for awhile. She seemed okay with it all. I was surprised."

Quinn poked around her chicken, the guilt radiating off Emma was seeping into her thoughts as well. She was the reason Terri had been able to lie. She didn't tell Will when things started to go wrong. The baby was all that had been keeping the marriage together, and the baby was ultimately what brought them apart.

Sensing their uneasiness, Will sighed, "Hey," he set his knife and fork down, reaching across the table to take one of each of their hands into his, "It's not your fault. Please, please stop feeling guilty about it. This was our mess, mine and Terri's. Nothing either of you did contributed to it, alright?"

"But, but..." Quinn started to feel herself tearing up, and she knew it wasn't pregnancy hormones, "I knew the truth, I..."

"We've talked about this, Quinn. I forgive you for not telling me and I don't blame you for it happening in the first place." She nodded, trying to smile for him. Will stroked the side of her hand before removing his own, then turning his attention to Emma he said, "We'll talk in a little bit, okay?" After receiving his second confirming nod, Will continued eating.

After returning from dropping Quinn off, Emma slipped her purple heals off and took them to her closet, settling them neatly in her organized shoe-rack. She turned her attention to the living room where Will was grading Spanish papers. She eased into the seat next to him, watching as he marked an A for a student who probably didn't deserve it. He placed the stack on the off-white coffee table in front of them, unsure of what to say.

While she didn't typically initiate the physical aspect of their relationship, Emma brought him into a long kiss, moving to take his face in her hands, deepening the kiss and scooting closer until he pulled her into his lap. "Em," He pulled away to meet her brown eyes, "I don't really know what I'm feeling right now, there's a lot of...stuff." She smiled sadly and stroked his cheek, "But please don't doubt for a second that I love you. You are the only one I want to be with."

She kissed his cheek and nodded, "I know. You've just got to work things out. I don't doubt you, not for a minute."

---

IV: Toucha Toucha Touch Me

"No way."

Emma flushed furiously as Will held up a movie from the trunk she'd pulled out from under her bed; Christmas break was two weeks long and they could only cuddle so much. In search of something to do, he'd discovered chick flicks, old western classics and other movies that seemed like films she would enjoy in her box. When he found his personal favorite cult classic, however, he was sure he was seeing her for the first time.

"I must be dreaming. Emma Pillsbury does not watch this kind of scandalous adultery."

She brought her fingers over her face, "College was crazy, Will."

"You just don't seem like a Rocky Horror fan to me."

"Oh, I wasn't at first. Some friends of mine convinced me to watch it and I was horrified. Then I, uh, had a few drinks and it wasn't so bad the second time I saw it. The next thing I knew, we went to a Halloween party and I was dressed up like Columbia."

His mouth was wide open, "Do you have pictures of this event?"

"Oh, no, no, no. You are not seeing those."

Will pouted, "Fine. Let's watch, though."

Emma groaned and followed him into the living room, she really didn't want to watch the movie, but she'd rather sit through the misadventures of Brad and Janet then show him the horribly embarrassing pictures of her in a gold, sparkly top hat and ridiculously low-cut, rainbow tube top, complete with shiny high-healed shoes and the tightest, shortest black spanky pants she'd been able to find. And if she wasn't going to show him the pictures, then she was certainly not going to reach for the blue bin on the top shelf of her cleaning closet which held the costume among other outfits he would probably enjoy. Maybe in a few months.

"Damnit, Janet, I love you," he sang as the opening scenes played themselves out, "Em, you are going to do the Time Warp with me right?"

She laughed, "Oh, I'm not sure if I can remember how it goes."

"It's just a jump to the left," He laughed in return, nudging her with his elbow, "We did this in college all the time. Went to the theater every Halloween to throw toilet paper and rice at the screen. Good times, good times," He rose to grab them a few drinks, hoping to loosen Emma up a bit.

"Wait, if you went to see it at a show...then you had to have dressed up, too!"

It was Will's turn to flush, "I, ah..."

"You were a Sweet Transvestite, weren't you, Will?" She nearly choked on her giggles as she downed a wine cooler.

He took a swig of beer, "I only dressed up once and I was so drunk that I wouldn't believe I did it if there hadn't been pictures. I don't know where I got the clothes I wore from, either. That always worried me."

Emma pondered for a moment, tapping her fingers on the side of her empty beverage,

"You know, I'll show you my pictures if you show me yours."

Will snorted, "No way. Mine are probably way worse then yours."

"Oh, I don't know about that," She felt her face heating from the alcohol, but pleasantly so as she wandered to grab a second bottle.

"Emma, I wore a leather corset and fishnets."

At this confession, Emma nearly crumpled to the floor in laughter, air not permitting itself into her lungs. She attempted to compose herself, but the mental image was far to intense. "Okay," She finally pulled herself together, "How about you show me your pictures...if I put mine on?"

He considered the offer as Brad and Janet broke down in the middle of a creepy forest, "Hm...I guess that could work. I'll have to look for them though, they're something that haven't come out of a box since they were taken." Even Terri hadn't known about his brief stint as Dr. Frankenfurter.

After twenty minutes of searching through boxes they still hadn't found places for after Will's move into her small condo, he found a black bag filled with embarrassing pictures from college. Most of the nights he didn't remember, and he was exceptionally thankful Facebook hadn't existed when he was in school. He probably wouldn't have been hired if it had.

He paused on one of him and several friends in corsets and women's underwear, cringing as he flipped to another where some of his lady friends, who's names he couldn't recall, were dressed as the main characters.

Emma sighed happily as she slid the spandex material over her skinny thighs, pleased that she could still fit into clothes she had worn nearly ten years ago. Catching sight of herself in her full-length mirror, she nearly burst into laughter once more. Only Will could get her into this.

She stepped out of her room and felt her face heating up once more as Will turned to face her, smiling and laughing and motioning for her to come closer. Emma wasn't sure if she could be any redder in the face as he whistled, taking her hand and twirling her around to take a good look at the entire outfit, "Hot stuff, Em."

"I forgot how itchy this is," She shimmied her way out of the golden jacket, revealing her freckled shoulders. Will whistled again as she took it off and pulled her close by the hips, his pinky finger landed on the exposed skin of her leg as the bottoms were so short. She shivered lightly at the contact and smiled into a kiss. He moved one hand to take off her golden top hat, tossing it across the room and wound his fingers into her hair. Emma attempted to pull away, still slightly uncomfortable with her hair being touched.

"Relax," He breathed into her lips. They kissed for a few moments before, until Emma demanded to see the pictures he'd found.

It was his turn to blush, "I just want to confirm how completely wasted I was when I did this. I have no memory of the entire night."

"Uh-huh," Emma took the photo from him and felt her mouth and eyes open widely of their own accord, "Oh my God! Will!" She laughed again, unsure of how to react.

Emma returned the picture and tried to control the inappropriate desires that had suddenly flooded her. Oh, what the hell. Will was oogling her and she knew it, she supposed she could take a little action, even if it was only a small step into their physical relationship.

She replaced his hands on her hips and smirked, suddenly brave, she sang, "Toucha, toucha touch me! I wanna be dirty!"

Will threw his head back in rumbling laughter, "Are you just singing or are you serious?"

Her smirk didn't fade as she pulled him into her bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed and curling a leg around his ankle to bring him closer. He pressed her down, one hand moving from her hip to take advantage of her exposed skin, running fingers all across her, watching her squirm in delight below him. She wasn't used to being touched in such a way, but she certainly wasn't opposed to it.

Emma caught one of his hands as it wandered across her exposed midriff, kissing his fingers before placing it on top of her breast.

"You sure, Em?"

She nodded and felt tingles as he moved it up her tube top and under her bra, squeezing gently. She gasped lightly, eyes begging him to continue. He obliged, moving his other hand to give her other breast the same attention, she felt her eye-lids drop as she propped herself up on her elbows, kissing him sweetly.

He continued to stroke and massage for a few more moments before pulling his hands away to cup the back of her head and stare at her, "I love you."

"I love you too," Emma found herself telling him this at all hours of the day as they spent the past few weeks getting to know every detail about each other. One of the last mysteries to be explored was what they were starting, the physical aspect of their relationship. While everything else had moved much more quickly then she expected, this was one part she wanted to develop over time. She was happy he had stopped at her chest and hadn't moved to go any further then she would be ready for.

They both jumped as her cell phone vibrated from the coffee table in the living room, ringing out one of her favorite Van Halen songs, "Great Scott!" Will shouted, making her chuckle for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. She pushed him off and darted to answer the green and white device.

"Oh, no." She moaned at the caller ID, "Hey, mom..." He stood in the doorway, knowing she had been avoiding telling her mom that she wouldn't be making it for Christmas. Now it was two days before, there weren't any more opportunities to weasel out of disappointing the elder Pillsbury woman, "...I'm not going to be making it...no...I'm sorry...No, I won't be alone...some friends, yeah...Tell dad and Ann I said hi...I guess you can tell him, too...Okay. Sorry, Mom. I love you...I promise."

She ended the conversation and sighed.

"Is she mad?"

"A little. I've been avoiding home since last summer."

Will gave her a sad look, "Any reason?"

She met his eyes sadly, "My brother and sister are both married and have seven kids between them. It's just awkward to be around them...and I'm not so great with kids. They're noisy and...messy." Emma settled into the couch, pulling at the sparkly top, "My brother always bugs me about not being married. My sister, Annie, is my best friend, but it's hard to have a conversation with her when she's got twins attached to her hips and another kid hanging on her legs while she's pregnant. And my brother, Kevin, is kind of a jerk."

He almost laughed at the nasty way she said the name, "How so?"

She huffed and crossed her arms, "Well, he pushed me into cow crap for one," Now he really had to stifle his chuckles, he loved her bluntness. "And he's just annoying. He does things because he knows they irritate others, and he swears at everything. I don't know what went wrong — my dad's a pastor and my mother is very nice, but she was always stern when it came to discipline. It just...didn't effect him, I suppose."

"So you're mad at him because of what he did to you?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders and let him take her legs into his lap, running a hand up and down her ankles to her thighs, making her shiver, "I don't hold a grudge against him. He couldn't have known what was going to happen, you know, he was just messing around like he always did."

Will thought for a moment as Emma took his hands which were coming dangerously close to her inner thighs. While it may have started as an innocent joke on her brother's part, her mysophobia was no laughing matter.

"I'd go with you if you want to go," He offered, interested in meeting the man who messed up her life.

Emma smiled, kissing his cheek, "That's very sweet. I don't want to go now...but she said I'd better see her before the summer or she'll beat me."

"Maybe you could invite them here?"

She shook her head, "Eh, no...my dad wouldn't be able to come anyways, he works too much. And I haven't, um, told them about...us yet. But I will. I'll see if my mom wants to have us over sometime soon. I do want to see them."

---

V: Costume Change

Emma was nervous about public displays of affection with Will at work. She wanted to kiss him sweetly as they poured their morning coffee. She wanted to run a hand across his shoulder blades as he sat at the piano during glee rehearsals. She wanted to intertwine their fingers as they walked through the halls. There was only one obstacle holding her back.

Ken.

She wasn't sure how well he would react to seeing the couple happy. She knew he suspected they were an item, but she was positive her former fiance knew nothing of the current living arrangements.

Emma was able to avoid him most of the time, she rarely had a reason to walk anywhere near the gym and Will's lunch hour was switched from the previous semester, so she typically ate in her office. Ken hadn't been the one at fault in their relationship, so she was shocked when he entered her pristine room one morning in mid-January with a motive of apologizing.

"Hi, Emma."

She looked up from a scholarship application with wide eyes and a questioning expression, "Uh...hi, K-ken. What can I um...c-can I help you?"

His face was gentle and his eyes weren't flaring with anger as she expected they would be at their first confrontation, "I just want to talk to you for a few minutes. All I want you to do is listen." While still slightly apprehensive, Emma nodded and he continued, "Okay. I just want to apologize to you. I know you weren't interested in me. I know you didn't want to be touched by me and that I kind of freaked you out a little bit. I could never understand your germaphobia and I didn't respect your choice of not wanting to explain it to me. But the thing I'm most sorry about was asking you to marry me, when I know you didn't want to. It wasn't fair; because you are to nice to say no and you didn't know what else to do."

Emma let out a breath and blinked a few times before saying, "I-I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry I couldn't return your feelings for me...and I'm sorry for settling for you. You're a really good man, Ken and I didn't want to hurt you."

He half smiled, "I just wanted to tell you, today's my last day," She was about to ask why when he explained, "I've gotten an offer to coach at the middle school. I figure if I can teach them there, maybe they won't suck so much when they get here. Anyway, thanks for listening. I hope you're happy, Emma."

"I hope the same for you." As he turned to leave, he bumped into Will who was about to enter Emma's office. Oh no. It had been going so well. Something in the look Ken gave Will made her uncomfortable, but she shook it off as he left, Will stepping in with a questioning glance back in Ken's direction.

"Everything alright?" He asked tentatively, sitting in a chair across from her.

She nodded, swallowing hard, "Yeah, yeah. Um, he was just..." Her eyes glanced back at the paper she'd been working on.

"Emma?" Her gaze returned to meet his, "What happened?"

"He apologized to me. For trying to make me like him when he knew I didn't. It was weird...Anyway, today is his last day."

Will watched as Emma squirmed in her chair, "Why are you upset about it?"

"I feel guilty."

"Sweetheart, don't...look, he apologized to you. Obviously he had something to be sorry for. I don't think you do."

"I don't...I don't know. I uh...was there something you wanted?"

Will's eyes lit up, "Yeah, actually. I was talking to the girls about costuming for Glee. Rachel said she liked the dresses you helped them pick out for Sectionals, and I was wondering...if you'd like to help them find something for Regionals? You're good at matching and clothes. And I think the girls would be more comfortable with you helping them with that kind of stuff then me."

"Sure! Yeah, I'd love to help...what, uh, what did you have in mind?"

He leaned back, stretching and running a hand through his curls, "I honestly don't have a clue. I've been so focused on getting the vocals and steps nailed down that I haven't thought to much about costumes."

"Okay, well, do you want something more normal and traditional like...dresses or something more...theatrical?"

"Hmm...Come with me," He stood, tilting his head towards the door. Emma followed and smiled, happy to finally spend some time with Will at work.

When she looked behind her to be certain they were alone in the long hallway, Emma bravely slid her hand into his, eyes focused on him rather then the grey scuffs on the floor.

He lead her into the auditorium, opening the door and directing for her to walk in front of him down a narrow hallway. Will felt his eyes moving from the back of her head to her backside, observing how nice it looked in her tight skirt. He shook himself of the thought, they were at school and as tempting as ripping off her clothes in the sound booth would be, they weren't ready for that yet. Well, Emma wasn't. Will was quite ready, but he didn't want to force her into anything.

Emma paused, turning to question where they were headed. Pulling out a key ring, Will opened a large room full of fabrics and clothes of every color and pattern, style and make. "Wow," She muttered, then cringed, not liking the idea of someone wearing clothes worn by previous, germy teenagers.

"I highly doubt we could find anything in here, most of this stuff is for plays, like this," he laughed, pulling a navy blue renaissance gown off a rack, "Want to slip into this?"

"Um, no. Not unless it's been dry-cleaned." She wandered for a few moments, taking in all there was to see without touching anything, "Hm, I can't see any of this working."

"You know what I can see working?" Emma giggled, taking a few steps closer and resting her arms around his neck. His mouth drifted to cover hers and she moaned happily as his hands traveled lower down her backside. Now that she was comfortable with him touching her, she found herself craving for him at the oddest instances throughout the day. She had been staring at the same page on the scholarship for a solid twenty minutes before Ken interrupted her inappropriate fantasy. She had pictured the choir room, but the costume closet worked just as well.

As their kissing intensified, Will felt Emma wrapping her legs around him. Smirking as his tongue grazed the inside of her cheek, he lifted her and moved against the door.

When his hand slipped up her skirt, Emma knew they were in trouble. Will was not good at controlling himself when they got heated. The night previously, he had her pinned to the bed with one hand while teasing her inner thighs dangerously. She wasn't sure how she'd managed to calm him down. Not that she was upset by his actions, she wanted them. Emma just didn't want them to go to far before she was sure she was completely ready.

"Will," She gasped as his fingers grazed the waistband of her lacy yellow thong. Emma moved one hand from his neck and placed it over top of his own, "Not here." He sighed into her shirt, mumbling an apology for his lack of self-control. She smiled and kissed the top of his head, "It's okay. I've been thinking about you all day."

"Oh really?" Will perked up, moving her from the wall and letting her slide down his body until her feet reached the ground, twisting her skirt so it was presentable once more.

Emma straightened his tie, "We'll talk about it later. You should probably be getting back. Your study hall is almost over." He nodded, taking her hand and shutting off the lights.

There were students in the hall when they exited the auditorium, but Emma didn't pry away from Will. She let him place an arm around her shoulders and kiss her temple when he dropped her off at her office.

She smiled and settled into her chair. She didn't care anymore, let the world see. She loved Will and that was the only thing that mattered.

---

VI: Daddy's Girl

Emma's mother had looked up when McKinley's winter break would be via the school homepage and insisted she spend the week in Virginia. Mrs. Pillsbury had spent an hour on the phone with her daughter the last week in January and each time Emma made an attempt to escape, the elder red-headed woman found a way to pull her back into another conversation.

Emma legitimately ran out of battery on her phone and ended the conversation with her mother, "Okay, well, we're going to Virginia," she addressed the curly haired man across from her.

Will laughed and removed the earbuds he'd had in while he was mixing music, "Sounds good to me."

Quinn had moved in two weeks ago and was adjusting nicely to the Pillsbury-Schuester household. She cringed from the living room, hearing Emma's announcement, not wanting to intrude on their vacation, but not wanting to be alone either. She had a feeling they were whispering a conversation regarding her now and smiled weakly as Emma took a seat next to her on the couch, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and running her dainty fingers through Quinn's blonde locks.

"Hey, sweetheart," She said as the younger girl moved closer, placing her head in the crook of Emma's neck and sighing deeply, "My parent's have asked me to come visit over winter break. I just wanted to let you know that you are more then welcome to come, my mom always loves having people over. Will is coming, so if you want to stay here, you'll be by yourself."

Quinn raised an eyebrow, "You'd trust me in your house alone?"

Emma laughed lightly, "Well, you're already pregnant. I don't think there's a whole lot you're going to be doing."

Quinn laughed back, "Good point...I'll think about it. I don't want to intrude on alone time between you and Will."

Emma usually protested Quinn's feelings of guilt when it came to her relationship, but she was kind of hoping that the former cheerleader would want her alone time as well.

"Okay, don't rush to a decision, though. Don't feel like you can't go."

She nodded and wrapped an arm around Emma's waist, sighing again. If anyone had told her three months ago that she would be living in her guidance counselor's condo, sitting in her arms while the older woman offered to take her on a vacation, she would have laughed her then-skinny ass off. Now as Emma returned the embrace, she could only smile, happy that at least someone cared enough about her to see she was well taken-care of.

Three weeks later, Emma kissed her cheek as Quinn stepped out of her small green car and headed for her week stay at the Berry's home. Rachel had heard Quinn would be staying alone and would not stand for her pregnant friend not to have someone take care of her.

Will tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, feelings of dread settled into his stomach as his thoughts loomed towards meeting Emma's father. Her mother, he had no doubt, would probably hug him happily and welcome him into their home, insisting he needed to be fed.

After the initial exchanges between her parents, Will felt a hundred times better as he looked around the room Emma had spent the first eighteen years of her life in. The walls were a light purple with one wall painted green. His eyes traveled to the full-sized bed with a contrasting dark purple comforter and sheets the same hue as the stand-alone wall.

A white shelf contained figurines of butterflies and a bookshelf housed hundreds of stories that she'd read from the time she could understand words and the day she'd left home.

"It's so...you," He laughed, pulling her close after they'd set their bags in the empty closet. Emma took out a few shirts to hang before they were rumpled any further.

She pecked his nose and took his hand to move back downstairs. She hadn't realized how much she missed her mother.

Mrs. Pillsbury settled them into the living room couch, telling them to wait just a moment as she had a 'surprise' waiting, for Emma at least. A few moments later, the garage door opened and a third red-headed woman entering the room, causing Emma to gasp and jump into her arms, "Annie!"

Annie, Will noted was equally as skinny as her sister—even after four babies, which, he observed, were not present—however, a few inches taller. Her hair was the same shade as Emma's, but more naturally curly as it fell past her shoulders.

"Oh, Ems," Annie hugged back with as much feeling, "I've missed you."

The sisters stayed connected for several minutes as Emma's face buried into Annie's neck in much the same way Quinn's often did to her own. Finally, she pulled away, "What are you doing here?"

Annie sighed, "Seeing you! It's been so long, Emma! Seriously, why haven't you come? Don't give me excuses, please."

The younger sister shook her head, "I don't want to talk about it now...but...where're your kids?"

She shrugged, trying to make her statement sound as nice as it could, "I figured you wouldn't be terribly interested in seeing them, they're home, with Sam."

"I-uh, Ann, I don't...um..."

"Don't worry about it, Ems. Anyway," she turned to face the man on the couch, "You must be the one I've heard so much about."

Emma flushed as Will stood and allowed himself to be pulled into a hug by her sister, unsure of how to respond other then a lame, "Uh, yep. I'm Will."

Annie laughed and released him, then plopped them down on the couch so she could catch up with her sister.

"And Kendal's just learning how to talk, she's not quite as quick as the other three were," Annie explained, nearly an hour later, Emma facing her and running a fingernail absent-mindedly down Will's spine. He hadn't said much, but enjoyed the company of the two sisters. They weren't talking like two mental patients as Terri and Kendra typically had, about God knows what and who, plotting and scheming behind his back. Annie was about as sweet as they come, and he could easily see how much Emma had missed her sister and best friend. "So what are you going to do all week?"

Emma shrugged, her hand moving to Will's leg, "Not sure, just hanging out, I guess. Will wants to see the high school, because he says I get to see parts of his past every day...um...I don't know. Wander the town and maybe-"

"Hey Ladybug?" She heard her dad calling from his study, "Could you come here for a minute?"

She smiled, "Be right back."

As she left, Annie turned to Will, "Okay, real fast. I don't want to come across as insane or overprotective, but Emma is my little sister and best friend. I have to know, are you in love with her? Because if you're unsure or uneasy—"

"Yes, Annie. I am one hundred percent in love with Emma. I'd do anything for her. She's beautiful and sweet and so honest, and kind and cute—"

Annie set a hand on his shoulder, "Okay. Just checking. I had to make sure. She's liked you for a long, long time Will. I'm sorry that your life didn't go the way you had hoped it would, but I'm really glad that you can be with her. She loves you."

"I know," he smiled, "I'm actually quite glad things turned out the way they did. And I'm sorry she didn't want to see you guys on Christmas...there was a lot going on and she just wasn't...feeling it, I guess."

The red-head breathed out deeply, her bangs flying up as she did, "Is she mad at me?"

Will shook his head, "No, no...I actually think she was just...frustrated."

Annie cringed, "Jealous, maybe? I know it sounds terrible, but...I know my sister. I know she never wanted to be alone and I know things weren't going the way she wanted for awhile. I sort of know about the whole Ken fiasco, but only little bits. It must have been pretty bad, if she didn't even want to tell me what was going on, let alone the rest of the family...I know she was thinking of settling for him, because she thought she wouldn't be able to have you. Thought it would help make the feelings of you go away."

He nodded slowly, "I agree, with your reasoning. She said it was hard to be around you and your brother with your families. At first, I thought she really just doesn't like kids, but now I know there's a little more to it. She sees her brother, who she's still unknowingly mad at, getting things she wants, thinking he doesn't really deserve it. Then she sees her sister, her best friend, the one she looks up to, with something she wants."

Annie laughed softly, "We always wanted the same things. Same dolls, same dresses. Same shoes...this was one thing that we couldn't have duplicates of, I guess. Emma was mad when I married Sam. She thought it was too soon, but...I think it was just because she hadn't found someone yet, so she could have the same thing."

Will soaked up the information, "I love her."

"I know."

"I'm going to ask your dad for permission to marry her."

Annie smiled widely, "I figured. Just not yet, though, right?"

"No, no. I just want to ask in person. Maybe end of March, April. I'm ready to ask, but I want to give her time to be ready to answer. We've both been though so much in the past year, I want to make sure she's clear that I'm not hung up on my part anymore, and to make sure she's okay, too. I think she is. I just want to be sure."

Meanwhile, Emma sat on the worn brown couch in her father's office, watching as he made his way to sit next to her. She curled up next to him, watching as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "I miss you. I wish you were here more often. It's been a year and a half. That's too long, Ladybug."

With a sigh, her mind wandered back to the carefree times of her cuddling with her dad, some of her happiest childhood memories.

"Daddy!" A three-year-old Emma screeched as she jumped so he could catch her and bring her into a hug after entering the kitchen from a long day at work.

"Hey, Ladybug," He kissed her cheek and rubbed her back.

"No, no, daddy. I'm not a ladybug today!"

"Oh really?" He asked, "Then what are you?"

"I'll give you a hint," She moved her face to his cheek, batting her eyelashes against it.

"Hmm...a dog? Are you my puppy dog today?"

"No! Daddy!" Emma repeated the action.

"How about...a mouse?" She sighed, her eyelashes fluttering once more, "Oh...a butterfly?"

"Yeah!" She kissed him and moved her tiny arms around his neck, "I miss you all day."

"I miss you, too, Butterfly. I miss your hugs," He squeezed her tightly, "Your giggles," He tickled her until she laughed, "Your smile and your kisses." She kissed his nose again, "But mostly, I miss you telling me you love me."

"I love you!" She smiled again, snuggling into his chest.

Five years later, however, she was not demanding his hugs or kisses, she was not shouting and being a silly, carefree little girl.

Emma sat in the corner of a white hospital bed, unmoving, appearing catatonic. It had been two days since the accident, and no one had been able to get her to talk or touch her without ear-shattering screams.

Mr. Pillsbury entered the sterile room for the third time that day, sitting in a chair next to his little girl, moving his face in front of hers in hopes to make eye-contact.

"Ladybug, it's daddy. Honey, please talk to me. I miss you."

He thought for a moment he may have seen a spark in her wide brown eyes, a brief expression crossing her face. He sighed, and tentatively placed a hand on the silver guardrail of the bed. Her eyes flickered to his hand, then traveled up his arm, stopping at his elbow, "No," she whispered, "No."

"No? No what, Emma? Honey?" He moved closer, their fingers nearly touching on the edge of a blanket.

"No, no, no!" Each word grew louder then the next, until she was hysterically sobbing, "No, no, no! No!" Emma's face was bright red as she rocked herself back and forth, trying to forget the smell, to forget the feeling of feces covering her tiny frame, "No, no, no!"

Unwilling to see her crumble any further, Ed Pillsbury picked up his screaming daughter against the initial wishes of her doctors, and held her close, hugging her tightly, "Emma, baby, it's going to be okay."

She stopped screaming and cried into his shoulders, heavy sobs shaking her body, "Daddy!" She responded to his embrace by throwing her own arms around him, "Daddy!"

"It's okay, Emma. It's okay, baby. I'm here, Ladybug, I'm not going anywhere."

She pulled away to meet his now wet eyes with her own. Suddenly, she noticed her physical interaction with an 'unclean' person, and she began breathing rapidly, "No, Emma, don't. Emma, Emma, Emma!" He yelled the last name, causing her to snap back. He walked them to the counter where a bottle of hand-sanitizer sat. He pumped a few squirts into one hand, then moved to the edge of Emma's bed, setting her in his lap and rubbing the liquid into both of their hands, "See, baby? All better. No more dirt, no more germs, no more smell."

She met his eyes for the second time, "No more?"

"No more. No more, Ladybug. No more." He rocked her back and forth gently, kissing her temple. The doctors had said it could take weeks before she was back to normal, but their estimation was off by over twenty years.

"Ladybug, do you love him?"

Emma glanced up, meeting her father's dark brown eyes, "Yes."

He smiled, stroking her hair gently, "Just making sure. I don't want you to spend your emotions on someone who isn't worth the hurt."

"He's worth it, daddy. Get to know him this week, okay? Will is the best man...he's amazing at everything he does, he can sing like you've never heard, he's a great teacher. He takes care of me, daddy. He really does, and he loves me, too. That's all that really matters."

"I'm just a little concerned is all. I don't like the fact that you are in a relationship with a guy who's divorce was finalized not two months ago."

Emma promptly sat up, a look on her face that she rarely showed anyone, "Listen. That has nothing to do with anything. The relationship he was in previously was horrible. You don't know what happened, you don't know, dad." He did, but allowed his little girl to carry on anyway, having a feeling this would be the first and only time she stood up to him, "The divorce had nothing to do with me. You raised me better then to be a home wrecker."

"Em—"

"And it really had nothing to do with Will either. It was his wife, she treated him like trash and didn't give a damn about anything he felt. Over the fall, she did something terrible and unforgivable. Will decided to leave her and then things started to happen between us."

Mr. Pillsbury brought her close again, "Okay, Emma. You're still my little girl, it's my job to see to it that you're happy and taken care of. I just want to make sure." She sighed and let the anger trickle out, snuggling back into him.

"Hey, baby girl," Mrs. Pillsbury entered the small office and sat next to her youngest daughter, "Everything okay?"

Emma nodded, her mind drifting to her sister and boyfriend who were no doubt talking about her. Annie only wanted what was best for Emma, and she knew it, but she was finding the interrogation process more annoying then she expected.

Will was already becoming a huge fan of Emma's sister. She cared so much about Emma; it comforted him knowing she hadn't grown up alone, even when things started going wrong. As his girlfriend returned to the living room, Annie tackled her into another hug, "Um...hi?"

The older sister laughed, "Sorry, I just miss you."

"Aw...I miss you too, Ann."

"Did you ever think of maybe moving back, closer to home?"

Emma shook her head against her sister's shoulder, "I like where I'm at, you know that. But I-I promise, I'll come home more often."

They moved into the kitchen where dinner was nearly ready, "Good. And bring this handsome devil with you," She wrapped an arm around Will, drawing him close, "I like him."

Mrs. Pillsbury had taken Emma shopping the day before the couple was going to return to Lima, leaving Will alone until her father arrived home.

His nerves were starting to act up as he paced the living room, wondering just how to ask the reverend if he could marry his youngest daughter.

"Will," Ed Pillsbury entered almost an hour later, hanging his coat in the closet near the front door, "Where're the ladies?"

"They went shopping a little bit ago," He responded, standing.

"Silly question," Ed chuckled to himself.

It was quiet for a moment before Will cleared his throat, "I wondered if I could talk to you about something."

The older man raised an eyebrow, having an indication of what Will would be asking, but allowing him to take the lead nonetheless, "Sure."

"Well, uh..." Will took a seat, wringing his hands as he spoke, "I know that Emma and I have really only been together for two months, but I really, really love her. And, well...I know it's soon, probably to soon, but I was wondering...if it would be alright with you, if I could ask her to marry me?"

Mr. Pillsbury was silent for a moment before sitting next to Will, "I am going to say a few things. Some as my career entitles me too, others as the father of your girlfriend. First of all, I don't think that love has a timeframe. I don't know if there's a point that in all relationships you can point to and say that you're ready to take the next step. You just never know, and I'm sure you have this figured out, now, at least. Emma has been through a lot. She's been traumatized and re-traumatized because of the first go around, she's been hurt by many people who just couldn't understand her. She needs a lot just to get by."

Will was silent, he had been hoping for a quick lecture, but he was not expecting a no from the man. Ed sighed, "She's my little girl. I love her very much. I want her to be happy and well taken care of. I want her to be loved. I know that you can provide all these things for her, Will, however...I'm just a little worried. I think you can understand why I would be. It's been two months since you divorced your wife, and I know the circumstances were completely different, but I want you to understand that you can't fall away from Emma. Things can't just start to go bad. She's too fragile for that. If there might even be a shred of doubt that your lives wouldn't work out together, I want you to end this before she gets hurt. I'm very serious about all this. I think you're a great guy, I really do, but I will not have my daughter in pain again."

He took a deep breath, "I would never do anything to cause Emma pain. I love her so, so much. I don't care that she sometimes needs to spend three hours cleaning the carpet or doesn't like to be touched in some places or can't always express herself in a way that she'd like to. I love her and nothing is going to change that. I promise, I will never leave her."

Ed smiled and placed a hand on his future son-in-law's shoulder, "Alright. You have my permission to ask my Ladybug to marry you. Just, not right away. Give it another month, at least. She'll need a little more time."

Will felt accomplished as he felt himself grinning widely, "I know, I just wanted to ask you in person. Thank you, so much, I promise, I won't let you down. Emma is my best friend, she's so beautiful, so honest, so loving and amazing...I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her."

The front door opened, revealing the lovely woman in question, who shivered as she set a few bags on the floor, then turned to help her mother move a few, "Hey," She breathed, slipping off her sexy black boots and matching knee-length peacoat.

Will stood and placed a hand on her back, kissing her cheek, "Have fun?" He asked as she wrapped an arm around his back as well, resting it on his hip and leaning into his side.

"Yes! And Annie's coming back tonight for dinner so I can see her before we leave tomorrow."

"With her family and brother and his family," Mrs. Pillsbury added as she took several bags to the master bedroom.

Will noticed Emma's scowl as the older Pillsbury mentioned her brother.

"Do you think you can play nice?" Ed asked jokingly, kissing his daughter's cheek, "I mean, you're both in your thirties, I think you can play nice by now."

"Oh, don't say that number," Emma moaned, turning into Will's chest, "I'm so old. And besides, he always starts it."

"It'll be fine; besides, you haven't even seen your new nephew yet. Andrew's a cutie."

"I don't do babies, mom."

Will's fingers played with the bottom of her short hair, he hoped that would change — a future with kids wasn't something they had discussed yet.

The evening came quickly as they set folding chairs around the Pillsbury's dining table, Emma not thrilled at the prospect of bumping elbow's with one of her pesky little nieces or nephews.

The door burst open with a set of ginger-haired twins rushing towards their grandfather, attaching themselves to his legs. "Boys, don't run in the house!" Emma heard her sister command as she set her two year old on the floor to toddle towards her grandma, followed by the eldest niece, who politely said hello to Will and Emma.

"Hi, Aunt Emma! I haven't seen you in a long time! Oh, you must be Will. You're going to be my uncle soon, right?"

Will laughed and couched to her level, "I don't know about that, but you must be Natalie."

Natalie nodded, her red pigtails bouncing excitedly, "Yeah! It's nice to meet you! I'm four and a half and I'm in preschool but I'm really smart! I can write my name and I know my alphabet and all my numbers up until one hundred!"

"I'm sure you're very smart," The twins stood behind her, observing the curly haired man, "And you are Kyle and Tyler right?"

They nodded, the one in blue introduced himself, "I'm Tyler, he's Kyle. We're twins but we're not the same because Kyle likes Scooby-Doo and I like Batman!"

"Oh, then you're very different, huh? How old are you?"

"Three! But we'll be four...Momma! When's our birthday?"

Annie laughed, prying coats off the boys, "March eleventh, babies."

"Yeah! March eleventh!"

Will saw the last of Annie's children hiding behind the couch, peering at him shyly, "And you must be Kendal, huh?"

She hid her face in her arms and Natalie moved to carry her to Will, "Say hi!"

The two-year-old sucked a finger and finally made eye-contact with Will, who's smile reassured her. She giggled and threw an arm around him, "Up!"

Will laughed, standing tall next to Emma as Annie whispered to her mother, "Oh, boy. He likes kids."

The front door opened again moments later, revealing a strawberry-blonde man with a car seat and a second toddler, who was fussing about her uncomfortable boots.

"Oh, stop whining, just hang on, Joje."

He placed the carrier down, causing a stir from a bundle of blankets, and removed her shoes and coat. She pouted as she finger combed her short blonde locks, before staring up at Will, pointing to her cousin, "Kena!" She tugged Will's pant leg, "Me up!"

He laughed and bent to take her in his other arm, smiling proudly as he held Emma's nieces, wondering how on earth she couldn't stand them.

Emma's brother escorted his wife and eldest son into the room and Emma was beginning to feel claustrophobic as Kevin introduced himself and Leah to Will, picking up Matthew and assisting Leah in removing Andrew's blankets so he could be free.

"And this is baby Andrew," The blonde woman said as the little boy yawned.

"Alright, alright," Mrs. Pillsbury burst through the crowd, shoeing them into the living room to take a seat, "Let me see my baby!" She lifted Andrew into her arms and conveniently took a seat next to Emma, "Isn't he sweet?"

"Uh...sure." She eyed Will who had a two-year-old on each leg, facing him and playing with his hair, giggling wildly and babbling to themselves. He was happy.

"Do you want to hold him, honey?"

"Um, I'll pass, thanks." She cringed, watching as the baby sneezed.

"So where the hell have you been, Emmie?" Kevin asked as Matthew covered his mouth with his hands. Will fought to keep his eyebrows down as her brother so blatantly swore in front of the kids.

"Don't say bad words, Daddy!"

Emma shook her head at her brother's parenting skills, "We haven't seen you in forever! Right after Jojo was born, actually." Leah looked sadly at her sister-in-law before she turned to Will, "So how did you meet?"

"We work in the same school, I teach Spanish and coach Glee Club," He said over the giggles of the little girls on his lap, "Emma and I have been friends for a few years, but circumstances led us together in November."

"Oh," Leah raised an eyebrow, "That's why you couldn't come for Christmas, hm? Needed some quality time with your man?"

"What's a 'gleek' club?" Natalie asked, forcing herself between Emma and Will.

"A Glee club," Will started, watching as Emma attempted to compose herself while Natalie rested her head in her elbow on her aunt's lap, "Is a group of people who sing and dance."

"Wow! I like to sing and dance! I watched this movie about kids who sing and dance! They were wildcats!"

Emma relaxed and put a hand on the girl's shoulders. If she could hold Quinn, she could hold a four-year-old.

Everyone laughed as Kendal squeezed Will's nose and shouted, "Honk!"

"I can sing real good!" Natalie spoke up again from the sudden lack of attention, "Want to hear, not-Uncle Will?"

He continued to laugh, "I would love to hear you sing, Natalie."

She cleared her throat and began dancing, "Everybody, everybody! Everybody wants to be a cat!"

Will looked at Emma, completely dumbfounded that she didn't like these kids. JoJo and Kendal bounced on his legs, attempting to sing along.

"Em?" He whispered, leaning over to kiss her cheek as she stared into space, "You okay?"

She shrugged, "We'll talk about it later."

Later came as the family said goodbye, leaving Will to curl up next to Emma on the couch as they usually did, "Sweetheart? What is it?"

Emma choked back a few tears as she confessed, "I love you a lot, Will. I don't know how I can love you and not give you everything you want, though."

He took her hands and kissed her lips, "What are you talking about?"

"I-I know we're not e-even married but I think...I think we do see a future together...and I know, I know how much you want to have a baby, a family. I just...I don't know that I can give you that. I'm sorry."

"Hey," Will wiped a tear away with his thumb, "Emma, don't...don't worry about it. You're right, we do see a future together, but sweetheart, I'm not asking for a baby. All I want now is you. If things start to change and we both find ourselves wanting to take our lives in that direction, we'll talk about it. But for now, I'm completely happy just being us."

Emma breathed deeply and fiddled with the buttons of his navy blue polo, undoing them and stroking the hair-covered skin there, "Are you sure? Please, please don't lie to me, Will. I want to know, if you want a baby."

"I think I do. At some point, but I think that at that point, if I want one bad enough, we'll figure out a way to make it work. There's lots of time, Em. We're not ancient."

"I love you," She whispered, kissing his chin and sighing contently as his hand worked it's way up her thigh, forgetting where they were for a moment.

Mr. Pillsbury entered the room and cleared his throat, causing the couple to tear apart, "Hey, I didn't say anything," He said with laughter in his voice. "Carry on."

"So, um, what did you think of my brother?" Emma asked, moving her hand back to his.

Ed let out a hardy laugh from the chair, "You can be honest Will, not going to offend me in the slightest."

He sighed and cringed, "Eh, he's interesting, that's for sure," His mind wandered back to dinner where Kevin had spoken of changing the little 'shit monkey' that was his son. "Not quite sure I've got words to describe him."

---

VII: Better then the Best

A warm April greeted Lima as it appeared the snow was finally done for the season and the days grew much longer. Emma had a small deck in the back of her condo where Will was currently grilling her a Boca burger and a real one for himself.

Emma wore a flowing, yellow skirt that was much shorter then she would wear to work, but Will enjoyed the view of her legs as she opened the sliding door and approached him with a plate, "Thanks, sweetheart," He smiled, kissing her cheek.

People had been telling them they were an adorable couple since their visit to Virginia and she couldn't help but agree sometimes. They were sweet, but never overbearingly so in public, they were honest and because of their honesty they rarely had a problem. Will was gentle, she was caring and most importantly, their relationship was one of equals.

He placed a hand on her hip and met her gaze, "I want to talk about something."

"Yes?" Her eyes pleaded for a hint of dissatisfaction from him, wondering what she had done wrong. Once they had taken their relationship to the next level of intimacy, Emma was sure nothing was going to stop the happily ever after she'd dreamed of.

Will moved the burgers off the grill, setting them separately on the plate with different lifters to avoid cross-contamination and lead her inside, where they finished putting the food together before sliding next to one another at the table, "I just want to ask you a few things." Emma nodded, begging him to continue. "Are you happy?"

Emma rolled her eyes, "Will, I think you know the answer to that." She smiled and squeezed his hand for a moment.

"I do, I just want to hear you say it."

She sighed and turned to face him, meeting his eyes and stating very firmly, "I am happy, Will. Happier then I have ever been in my entire life. I love you so damn much," When she swore Will knew she was serious, "I don't know how I lived without you for so long. You make waking up every morning worth it, you make my messes smaller and you are the kindest, gentlest, most sincere man I have ever met. I am very happy, Will."

Having a feeling they weren't going to get much eaten, Will kissed her sweetly before moving on to his next point, "We've been together for six months and living together for five. I think that it's safe to say you like the arrangements," She nodded, unsure of where he was taking this, "Can you see this working out long term?"

"Yes," She said simply, starting to catch on to his thinking.

"Do you maybe think we should make it more...official?" He asked, looking down for a brief moment. He hadn't yet gotten a ring, he didn't want to make a real proposal unless he was positive Emma was ready.

"I think we could do that," She responded, not actually saying they should get engaged, she knew he would want to ask.

"Okay," He smiled and kissed her temple before turning to eat.

Glad he hadn't decided to ask the most important question of their lives over a mock-meat patty, Emma felt butterflies settle into her stomach; excited and looking forward to the time when he would ask. She knew it wouldn't be spur of the moment, Will would probably be planning it for awhile.

The following monday, Will held Quinn behind at Glee, "I was wondering if you'd like to run an errand with me, if you don't have anything to do."

She nodded with a wide smile, "I'd love too," at eight months pregnant, the teenager hadn't done much besides attend school and sleep, getting out of Puck's house would be good for her, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," He guided her to his decrepit blue car, having told Emma he would need to drive home later then usual. She had already left, he noted.

They pulled into a parking lot of a strip mall and upon seeing the names of the stores on the sign, immediately Quinn knew what he was doing, "You're going to propose?" She squealed.

Will nodded, beaming, "I wanted your input on the ring. I've got a few picked out, I want to know which one you think she'll like best."

Quinn clicked her seatbelt off and threw her arms around him, "I'm so happy for you!"

Will laughed and hugged her back, "Thank you, Quinn."

They entered the store, not caring how strange the pair of them probably looked to an outsider. Will spoke to an associate briefly and she pulled out four small, black boxes, laying them out in front of him. He opened each one, Quinn gasping at his selections.

She observed them for a moment before closing one box, "Too big." The second she considered for a moment before saying, "It's too...silver. She wears more gold then silver."

Will nodded, the two she had closed were the ones he hadn't been completely sold on in the first place, now it remained between two small gold rings, one with diamonds in the band, with a larger one in the center. The second was two thinner bands intertwined with much smaller diamonds around them and a trio of bigger ones in the middle.

Quinn bit her bottom lip before pointing to the double-banded one, "I think she'll like this. There's more symbolism in the two bands."

Will pulled her close, "That's the one I liked the best. I just wanted to be sure."

Just before May pushed April out of the way, Will took Emma on a long walk in the city park, discussing what the future possibly held for them.

"I think we'd have to find better paying jobs first," Emma laughed as he jokingly suggested a vacation house in Florida.

Will kissed her temple as he usually did, then pulled lightly on their intertwined fingers, taking her down a small path through the woods where a out of place bench and group of teenagers were found.

The Glee kids all held smiles so wide she thought they might explode as she sent a questioning glance to the ensemble and their director, "What's going on?"

"Well," Will started, sitting her down, "I just wanted to tell you something, and my friends wanted to help." They formed two lines behind him, Puck strumming softly on an acoustic guitar.

"You're better then the best," Will began to sing, the group behind him side-stepping and snapping as Emma brought her folded hands to her chest, "I'm lucky just to linger in your life. Cooler then the flip side of my pillow, that's right. Completely unaware, nothing can compare to where you send me. Let's me know that it's okay, yeah, it's okay. And the moments where my good times start to fade..." The kids joined him in the chorus as he took her hand and they began to dance, her face flushing and as happy as the lyrics depicted, "You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head, spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night. You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee, just the thought of you can drive me wild. Oh, you make me smile."

He took the second verse alone, and again the club joined him for the next chorus. As it finished, Puck strummed softer and the group moved to the bench, sitting and standing behind it while Will sang the bridge softly to her, holding her close, "Don't know how I lived without you, cause every time that I get around you, I see the best of me inside your eyes...you make me smile..." He stopped singing and bent down on one knee, taking her hand and kissing the fingers softly, then removing a small black box from his pants pocket he asked, "Emma, I love you with all my heart. I don't want to ever live a day without you..." He opened the box and smiled as happy tears cascaded down her face as her expression matched his, "Emma, will you marry me?" They didn't notice a few flashes going off in the background as several Glee kids captured the proposal on memory cards.

"Yes!" She choked, letting him slip the double-banded gold ring onto her small finger then taking his face into her hands, she kissed him softly, hearing the Glee kids resume their singing as he stood, slipping his arms around her waist and deepening the kiss.

Oh, you make me smile.

---

VIII: Rock the Reception

They didn't want a big wedding, that was decision number one when Emma and Will returned to their condo the evening of the proposal, which they'd celebrated with the kids at a run-down restaurant, Puck insisting on paying for their meals, "We owe you a hell of a lot," He'd commented.

Emma wanted her family and close friends, Will added the Glee kids were also a requirement. Virginia seemed like the best place to have the wedding, at Will's instance. Her mother was pruning the backyard for the occasion, but her father's church was plan number two incase of rain. He would unite the two in marriage and her nieces and nephews would walk — with the exception of Andrew, who would sit comfortably in his mother's lap — down the isle with her sister and Will's best friend from college.

Annie had flown to Ohio for several days to go dress shopping with her sister, something Emma had sort of been hoping to do with Quinn, but the younger girl was seeming to be suffering from postpartum depression and had been emotionally unavailable for the past few weeks after her delivery. Annie had assisted Emma in finding a dress that was similar in form to the one she'd nearly married Ken in, but the style was completely different. The top half was very form fitting, then jetted out at the waist. She wasn't sure about the strapless part at first, but Annie had convinced her she looked like a goddess, "Plus it will be easier for Will to get it off of you after the reception."

The day had arrived and Annie was in Emma's former room, pinning her hair up as her mother applied a light, natural coat of makeup to her little girl's face. "Oh, baby...you're so beautiful."

Emma blushed under her mother's gaze as her eyes wandered to a framed picture of the proposal that Kurt had taken in the woods. She was so happy to finally make a promise to spend the rest of her life with the man of her dreams, it all seemed surreal.

The sun had made an appearance for the big day and the white chairs were lined neatly in rows as Will waited near Mr. Pillsbury for his soon-to-be wife to walk down the isle. His nearly-nieces and nephews were happily skipping towards him, the little girls wore matching white dresses with embroidered yellow flowers, the boys wore white dress shorts and yellow polo shirts, looking cute and casual for the summer event.

Her sister wore a simple yellow dress, his best friend in a white suit and yellow tie, smiling brightly as they walked towards him.

Finally Emma's beaming face met his. He'd seen her dress, but not on. She was, if it were possible, even more beautiful then she had been in the previous dresses he'd seen her in. As she moved his way, he nearly forgot to breathe. When she finally took his hand he kissed her fingers and they both turned to face her father.

He spoke in words that Will would barely remember later, as he was more focused on the expressions of the gorgeous woman next to him. Every blink and smile was captured forever in his memory, and their first kiss as a married couple was eternally burned on his lips.

They heard the applause in the background die down and Will pulled away to look her in the eyes, taking her cheek and stroking it lightly, "I love you," He whispered.

Her forehead met his, "I love you, too."

They saw flashes going off out of the corner of their eyes and met for another kiss.

Natalie huffed from her place near Annie, becoming restless and strutted towards Will, pulling his pant leg, "I think your supposed to be done now."

The assembly laughed, snapping more pictures of the innocent exchange. Even Emma chuckled at her niece, "I'll kiss you too, Natalie!"

"Ah!" She yelled, running down the isle with the rest of the kids finding it a good idea, chasing after her. More laughter ensued, Emma set her face in Will's chest, giggling madly.

A few hours of mingling passed and the couple and company were joined in a reception hall with three times the number of people as they'd had at the wedding, a formal event planned by her father for nearly everyone the newly-married couple knew; people Emma hadn't seen since she was ten, relatives Will forgot he had.

Kevin made a nice, brief toast to his sister, followed by Will's father. After a light dinner, everyone surrounded the ballroom floor for the first dance. The song started slow, a Hawaiian mashup of Over the Rainbow and Wonderful World, but before it ended, the tempo changed and a third song was thrown into the mix. Suddenly, the Glee club was on the dancing with the couple, a perfectly choreographed routine of Chris Brown's Forever had the guests bursting in awe and applause. Finn had seen a video on the internet of a couple doing a similar routine and insisted it would be perfect at their wedding.

Will spun Emma into him, "It's like I've waited my whole life, for this one night..." he sang in her ear as they swayed front to back for a moment. She caught him in a quick kiss before he spun her back out, each of them jumping three times, "It's gonna be me, you and the dance floor."

The night carried on, the couple finding times to dance with one another in between socializing and dancing with relatives they hadn't seen in a while.

Before the night ended, the Glee kids had preformed Somebody to Love, knowing it was Emma's favorite performance of their first year together.

"Will," She whispered as they swayed to the last song, she was barely standing, her feet were unable to move and she was exhausted beyond compare, "I love you, so, so, so much."

He kissed the top of her head, unsure of how his eyes were still open, "I love you, too, Emma."

---

IX: Summer Lovin'

Will held Emma's hand tightly as they exited the theater after an evening of Wicked. She was filled with emotions she could barely process while the two of them walked along Times Square hand-in-hand.

She dropped her head on his shoulder, an arm snaking around his waist. He kissed her cheek, "What do you think?"

"I think we're going to be seeing that again." Will laughed and ran a hand up and down her coral-covered back. He picked at the cap-sleeved sundress, tugging lightly.

"We may just have to borrow the moonlight, tonight."

Emma giggled, squeezing him tightly, "Mhmm," She rested her free hand over his chest as they strutted towards their hotel in no hurry.

He caught sight of her staring up at him. Even though it was dark, she had her usual glow about her, "Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?"

She blushed a smile, "I'm not sure you have. Maybe you should remind me."

He paused and twisted her so she was directly in front of him, then leaned for a soft kiss beneath the streetlamp, "You," he whispered, kissing her again, "Are so," a little longer this time, "Stunning," she moaned slightly as he kept removing his mouth from hers, "And breathtaking," his hand cupped the back of her head, "And mine."

Emma's eyelids dropped in a way they usually did when she was getting frisky, "All yours," She purred, taking his hand and increasing the speed to their hotel room.

When they finally stepped out of the elevator, Will had to muster every ounce of self-control he had to keep from ripping Emma's dress off and shoving her into the wall. She wasn't a huge fan of violent love-making...yet.

"Will," she panted as he fumbled for the key-card in his wallet.

The moment the indicator turned green and the lock clicked, Will scooped Emma into his arms and gently nestled her into their temporary bed.

He kissed her slowly down her body while untying the white ribbon on her lower back. She was ready for him, but Will was in the mood for a sweetly torturous game of making her wait for it. His male tendencies had him wanting to hear that she needed him. He liked knowing that.

She kicked off her sexy silver sandals and brought her hands below his shirt near his waistline, a fingernail dancing over the place where his abs met his hips, a bundle of nerves sent shivers up his spine. He moaned into an open-mouthed kiss and tore his face away for a brief moment to remove her dress and allow her to whisk his shirt to the floor.

"Emma," He whispered, nipping her earlobe and sucking the skin on her neck.

She was wiggling his jeans off after struggling with his belt, "Come on, Will," She nearly demanded, tugging them below his knees and letting him take them off the rest of the way.

He laughed and kissed her lips again, "Not yet, Em."

"Will..."

Emma never whined, so when she pouted, Will laughed again, tracing a circle around her bellybutton, placing a kiss above it as his fingers worked on removing her bra.

Once off, he noticed her heavy eyes again, kissing each one of them and gently squeezing each breast the way she liked.

"Will, I-I need you, p-please..." She gasped after several minutes as he continued his handiwork.

He complied with her request, their time together shorter then usual, as she had been more then ready for quite a while. When they were finished, Will lay panting on top of Emma's chest as her limp arms found the strength to move and her fingers played with his damp hair, "You always know exactly what I need."

He kissed her collar bone and snuggled closer, rubbing a hand along her side, "I'm not sure I want to go back to the real world."

Their summer to this point had been a week in Virginia between the before and after stages of the wedding, followed by the end of their week in New York, then they would be returning to her parent's home for one more seven day period.

"I know. It's been great to have other people take care of us, not having to worry about anything...I haven't cleaned anything in a long time."

Will sat up, having not really noticed her lack of obsessive behavior and kissed her passionately, "I'm proud of you. I like seeing you comfortable."

She kissed him again, "But I'd be more comfortable if we were not covered in sweat," She blushed and pushed him lightly so they could shower.

Eight days later, Emma nearly burst open the door to their apartment and took a breath of hot, stale air, as they hadn't had the air conditioner run for three weeks.

She opened all the windows and sighed, flopping in a way that was very 'un-Emma' into her familiar couch. Will dragged the last of their bags in and locked the door. "Home..." She muttered, now glad to be back.

"Hello, my beautiful wife," He kissed her forehead and smirked as she tore off her lacy purple top to reveal a simple camisole.

"Already? We haven't been in for more then two minutes," Will laughed, kissing her forehead.

She tugged him close by the collar and kissed his lips, something they had been doing seemingly nonstop over the past three weeks, "I love you."

He pressed his hand into the fabric of the couch, kissing her in return and pulling her into his lap. He kissed her cheek, her nose, her forehead and finally her lips once more before sighing and leaning his head back and sticking his tongue out, "It is seriously hot in here."

"I think it's just me," Emma began to giggle, which became a full laugh as Will raised an eyebrow at her sudden bluntness.

"You," he ran a hand through her hair before pulling at it, knowing the tugging sent shivers down her spine, "Are adorable."

She pressed her forehead against his as they'd done on their wedding day, "I love being with you all the time. I hope you're not sick of me already," She giggled again, kissing his chin.

Will shook his head, "I never thought I would want to spend every waking moment of my life with the same person," He rested a hand on her thigh, "I never knew I would want to touch someone all the time, or kiss them all day. You're so special, Emma."

He cuddled her closer so their bodies were pressed together in every way possible from their position, "I never thought I'd let someone touch me all the time. I never thought I'd be okay with someone wanting to kiss me all the time." She sighed, "I never thought anyone would want to put up with my...problems."

"You know I don't see it that way," Will resumed his work in her hair as her face melted in bliss, "I'm not putting up with a problem, I'm loving you for all you are. If that means you need to scrub the microwave handle with a toothbrush, so be it."

They'd had the conversation multiple times before, but each time they discussed his understanding of her mysophobia, Emma felt indescribably better. As his fingers continued to tangle in her hair, Emma closed her eyes, "I love you, Will," She mumbled, nodding off on his shoulder.

Will kissed her forehead, "I love you, too, Em."

---

X: Autumn

Fall came, and as they pulled into the McKinley High parking lot on the Tuesday after Labor Day in their new silver Pacifica, neither of them had ever been so excited to start a school year.

Emma gathered her things from the seat behind her, smiling brightly as Will opened her door and took her hand, "Ready for the ball, Cinderella?"

She laced their fingers and they walked slowly to the front doors, watching students reunite and faculty members catch up.

Will caught sight of several of his kids who congratulated the couple on their marriage.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. and Mrs. Happily Ever After."

The pair stopped and shared a brief look of mutual disgust as they turned their attention towards the voice, "Sue, they let you out of the crazy house?" Emma asked sarcastically.

"You would know, Edna. Actually, I've been at conferences and speaking engagements for the past few months, encouraging others to follow their dreams and chase the stars."

Will let out a laugh and rewound Emma's fingers tightly in his own, "See you later, Sue."

"Count on it," She hissed, shouting threats at intimidated freshman.

As the couple turned a corner, Emma caught sight of a familiar blonde and brunette walking towards them, "Mr. and Mrs. Schuester!" Rachel waved happily, Quinn caught Emma's eye for a moment before excusing herself to her best friend and entering the nearest restroom.

Rachel hugged Will happily, telling him of her brilliant plans for the club and all sorts of nonsense Emma wasn't paying attention to. As Rachel finally took a breath, Emma quickly asked, "How's Quinn doing?"

Rachel sighed, her tone of voice changing dramatically "She's...alright. She doesn't like talking about all that happened. She doesn't know that I know, but she cries at night. A lot." Emma fiddled with a button on her new brown cardigan, "If you're wondering why she hasn't talked to you, I'm sorry, but I don't know. She isn't mad, I know that...but she's just trying to sort things out on her own for now."

Nodding, Emma swallowed, thanking Rachel and tugging Will down the hall before the first bell rang.

Sue Sylvester slammed her old office door shut and drew the blinds. William Schuester was happy. That had to change.

What made him happy? The Glee club, of course, but she learned her lesson, and Sue Sylvester never made the same mistake twice. What else? That lemur-eyed, paper-thin, mental case. Of course, now that they were married, it would be a difficult card to play. What wedge could she drive between them? What would send the neat-freak over the edge of a bleach bucket? A mess; but it had to be a big one. Something she couldn't clean for a long, long time. For someone obsessed with neatness, the two of them were disgusting, she could practically feel the endorphins radiating off them as she saw them in the hall.

Sue had an idea.

With a sinister smile, she flipped through her iPhone contacts, searching for the drugstore she often threatened with lawsuits until they gave her rock-bottom discounts.

"I was wondering if you had any over-the-counter fertility treatments...Yes...Does it by any chance come in a powder? How about for males?"

Three mornings later, Sue found Will with a stack of sheet music in the faculty lounge, "No wifey?" She pulled out the chair across from him and slid a cappichino across the table, "Peace offering," She stated as he gave her a questioning glance, "Listen, William. I learned my lesson. I'm not about to go chasing down your little kids and torturing them for information. I won't put hidden cameras in your office and I won't even sell you out to another school."

"That's real sweet of you, Sue." Will rolled his eyes, "Don't mess with me."

"I'm not messing, William. I've got my team of champions and you've got your team of...well, you've got your team. I think it's best if we both just focus. On winning."

She turned to leave without giving him a second to argue with her. Will sighed and ran a hand through his hair, eyeing the coffee suspiciously. Whatever, he needed caffeine.

Sue'd been brining in drinks for whoever was in the lounge around the same hour for a few weeks, the time she knew he would be there. He always took one, with a thanks and she smiled to herself every time.

When the Glee club was having it's last practice before Sectionals, Sue noticed the first sign. As she made her way to the auditorium, Emma placed a hand to her chest, a sign of heartburn that she could detect notice a mile away.

Bingo.

---

I hope this will tide you over for awhile while I go hunting for plot bunnies. I have a few captured already, they are waiting to be freed, but they need a little nursing before I can let them into the wild.

Will and Emma's relationship moved very fast, as she continually said. I know that Ryan Murphy is a douche bag, I mean, a genius and knows what he's doing, but I want Wemma now. I feel that if you are reading this fic, then you want Wemma now as well! I just did not want to drag this out, that's so boring and sexually frustrating for everyone. (Probably more for the readers/viewers then the actual characters.) Yes, it was Sue who got them pregnant. As Emma said, "We were very careful!" But you can never be careful enough when dealing with Sue Sylvester, Emma. Only on Glee would something like this happen. Shit's about to get real.

Favorite part (I-X) or moment? One that you seriously didn't like? (I imagine most of you hated IV, especially if you haven't seen RHPS) Other moments you would like to see?For my favorites and ideas for my future Glee projects, see my profile. And, if you have any more baby names, I will be needing a boatload for chapter ten and could use some more!

Thank you so much for reading! I never would have thought that this story would have so many active readers/reviewers/followers/obsessive-compulsive fans! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the support, I really enjoy writing this!