Will sighed heavily, crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the yellow school bus behind him. It was the day of sectionals and he made sure to get to the school early to wait for the kids to arrive.
Emma, who had arrived only shortly after Will, turned her head to look at him. She wanted to say something to him to help lighten the mood. Will usually was so optimistic but all the stress from the events going on in his life accumulated and was wearing him down.
The kids arrived shortly after in intervals of a few minutes. Rachel, of course was the first one to arrive. She hugged her two dads as they wished her good luck and kissed her forehead. But she, like her teacher, was not her usual optimistic self.
Rachel and Will locked gazes and without saying a word both knew the severity of their situation. Rachel turned her gaze away and quickly glanced up at Emma then settled on standing in between her two teachers.
Not fifteen minutes later all of the glee kids were standing around the empty parking lot, exchanging awkward and silent looks. Brittany and Santana and Mercedes and Kurt would occasionally whisper to each other but no other words were spoken.
"Um..." Emma finally broke the silence and every head turned toward her. "Why don't we all get on the bus?" She offered.
The kids didn't make a noise to agree or disagree but instead all headed towards the bus and boarded it one by one.
Will followed after them and gave a signal to the bus driver to lower the handicapped ramp for Artie. Will helped Artie onto the ramp and it slowly began to rise up into the bus.
As Artie was being lifted onto the bus, a car door slammed and Jacob Israel came running up to Will and Emma who had been just staring at each other for the last thirty seconds. "Reporting for Duty Mr. Schuester...but i have to tell you I get terrible public event anxiety."
Will inhaled slowly and Emma turned to address him, "You know what Jacob, it's okay we just need a twelfth member alright so um, just sway in the back you don't even have to sing."
"Yea." Will agreed quickly. "Don't even sing."
"Okay." Jacob nodded and jogged towards the bus.
Emma watched Jacob get safely onto the bus and take his seat next to a clearly displeased Rachel, and turned back to Will. "We'll be okay Will."
"Finn was one of our strongest members. I don't know if they can do it without him." Will replied, his frustration obvious in his voice.
Rehearsal the day before was going so well, they ran through all of their numbers three times and did each time perfectly. Will allowed them to take five before they would start again and he didn't realize how much could go wrong in those five minutes. Will chatted with Emma off to the side not noticing Finn and Rachel leave the room. Not two minutes later Will was abruptly town out of his pleasant conversation by the sound of two objects smacking together, something hitting the ground, Quinn crying out and the rest of the glee kids erupting in a large clamor. He turned over his shoulder to see Finn leaning over Puck who was on the ground and punching his supposed best friend's face off.
"Hey!" Will cried out and ran over to them while Emma stood where she was, her hand flying to her mouth in shock and horror. Will pulled Finn off of Puck and held him back when he tried to go after him again.
The next few minutes were all a blur to all of them. There was yelling and tears and ended with Finn storming out of the room, furious and quitting the club. As disappointed and frustrated as Will was that they lost their male lead the day before sectionals he understood Finn's actions, he knew exactly how it felt like to lose a baby you thought was yours and to have been lied to by the woman you love. Will understood Finn's reasoning behind never wanting to see Quinn or Puck again for he never wanted to see Terri again. He knew if he were to call Finn and ask him to come to sectionals it wouldn't be right because it would be like someone asking him to still live with Terri and he didn't want to handle that. So instead of calling Finn, with Emma's help in the guidance department, he called the only person who might be willingly to be a temporary twelfth member and that being Jacob Israel.
"Will," Emma started, "They are all very talented. One of them being missing is not going to make or break them. You have Rachel as the female lead and Artie is a powerful singer and so is Kurt. You have plenty of options of who is going to replace Finn and these kids have what it takes to win."
Will blinked, his eyebrows furrowing as he listened to Emma. Then his eyes lit up and a smile tugged at his lips. He quickly turned around and hopped onto the bus, turning to address the gloomy looking glee kids as Emma stepped up onto the first step.
"Alright guys listen." He clapped his hands together and scanned his eyes across the twelve kids. "I know it seems like we have a small problem with our lack of a male lead. The problem is we think we need Finn to win but that is not true. All of you have the talent to succeed even without him. Come on guys, we've worked so hard to get to this point, we should be excited!" He pumped his fist halfway in the air for effect and they all stared at him in silence. Will gave them all exasperated looks. "Finn is not the only male singer in the group you guys! Artie, Kurt, Puck you all have lead singer material. One of you can take the lead in Don't Stop Believing beside Rachel."
Rachel rose in her seat, lifting an eyebrow, looking over the three boys that her teacher named to see which one would work best beside her.
"We can win this!" Will stressed. "But only if you believe that you can! We are going to sectionals and we are going to win! Let me hear you say it."
A few of them rolled their eyes and they all mumbled, "We are going to sectionals and we are going to win."
"I'm sorry what?" Will cupped his ear and leaned forward towards them. A collective sigh sounded in the bus and they repeated it a little louder but still very unenthusiastic.
"Come on guys you're killing me here!" Will exclaimed and Rachel stood up, stepping over Jacob and walking to stand in front of Will, turning to her students.
"Mr. Schuester is right! We don't need Finn, we are a strong group of talented musicians. The only song we really needed Finn for is Don't Stop Believing and like Mr. Schue said someone else can sing his part. We are not going to throw away this fun opportunity just because of Finn quitting!" A classic Rachel grin spread across her face. "Now lets forget about Finn and enjoy ourselves because if we don't do this we are going to regret it for the rest of our lives. I know for a fact that all of you in here actually love glee club and if we turn back now then glee club is over."
A few mumbles and whispers of agreement could be heard and Rachel nodded. "So what do you say guys are we going to win?"
"Hell yea!" Mercedes cried and there were a few chuckles. Then there were other shouts of agreement and joy and there was a thunderous applause throughout the bus.
Will smiled proudly as Rachel continued to grin and took her seat again. Will laughed as the kids settled down from their newly found excitement.
"We're going to sectionals!"
"Now I want you to be a good audience and support the other teams alright?" Will turned to the kids who were now seated in the auditorium.
"Yeah." "Okay." "You got it Mr. Schue" and other terms of the like were the response from the kids. Will smiled reassuringly at them and settled back down into his seat next to Emma.
Emma smiled at him and bravely placed her hand over his. As soon as her skin touched his, a spark ignited and sent warmth spreading to each of their bodies. Will glanced down at her small hand on top of his and then glanced up to her eyes. Emma squeezed his hand gently silently telling him that everything would be fine.
The house lights dimmed and the audience burst into applause as the emcee for the evening walked onto the stage and into the spotlight. He gave a short introduction and then introduced the first team performing which was Jane Adam's Academy.
The curtain rose to reveal the Jane Adam's girls in black and gold outfits standing in rows on a set of stairs. After the applause settled down the lead singer of the glee club sang five words that sent a chill of horror down the 14 spines of those involved in New Directions.
Will unintentionally flipped his hand around and locked fingers with Emma out of nervousness. Emma,who was too busy remembering Mercedes belting the same song out the day before at rehearsal, didn't notice.
The McKinley kids stared in shock and horror as the Jane Adam's girls performed Mercedes' ballad. Their horror and panic only grew as after that number ended the girls came out in wheelchairs and started singing Proud Mary. Only Jacob who was unaware of the fact that their songs were being stolen, danced along with the rest of the audience.
"Mr. Schuester they stole our songs!" Rachel exclaimed, storming out of the auditorium during the intermission between each group performance.
Will ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I know guys I know! Sue must have leaked the set list."
Santana and Brittany exchanged looks unseen by the panicked glee club.
Panicked shouts of "What are we going to do?" and the like filled the air as Artie started ramming himself into the wall. Will looked around, not knowing what to say or do to calm down the kids and the fact that Emma had disappeared was not helping either.
Will grabbed the back of Artie's wheelchair and pulled him away from the wall and pushed him back towards the group. "Look guys, we need to remain calm here."
"How do you expect us to remain calm when we have no songs!" Kurt exclaimed and Will held out his hands.
"I know it seems bad guys but we'll think of something. We always think of something." He trailed off quietly and the kids continued to freak out.
Will ran his hands through his hair and collapsed into a nearby chair, as he did so he could feel his cell phone rubbing up against his leg. He looked up into nothing as an idea hit him. He dug his phone out of his pocket, dialed a number and walked outside to get away from the noise.
"Hello?" The woman on the other line picked up.
"Hello Ms. Hudson? This is Will Schuester."
Rachel Berry stared at the man in front of her who was crying in horror. How could he cry at such an atrocious performance? Not only had The Jane Adam's girls stolen two of their songs but the Haverbrook School for the deaf had stolen their last and final number.
Clenching her jaw and grinding her teeth, Rachel propelled herself out of her seat and turned to her fellow glee clubbers. "Meet me in the green room in five minutes!"
After the performance ended, New Directions met in the green room and discussed their options. After a few bad suggestions such as Artie's Deaf Poetry Jam they decided on giving Rachel the ballad and their closing number was decided to be 'Somebody To Love'
"Yeah that and a can of soup will guarantee us third place. We need another song we can all sing together." Puck remarked.
"I have one." A familiar voice sent all heads flying towards the door. Finn stood awkwardly in the door, holding up several pieces of paper.
Finn sighed heavily, obviously avoiding the gazes of Quinn and Puck and Rachel tried to hide the smile on her face at seeing her co-captain as Finn walked into the room. "I found the sheet music online."
Finn handed the sheet music out and the club looked over it, taking in the lyrics and music on the page. Finn, as the natural born leader he was, gave instructions to his teammates regarding the choreography. At Finn's advice their confidence was restored and they all set into working on their song immediately.
Will soon appeared in the doorway with Emma behind him.
"Mr. Schuester look who's back!" Rachel exclaimed at seeing her teacher in the doorway. The others turned to look and Finn looked over his shoulder and he and Will shared a small nod.
"Welcome back Finn. It's good to see you here." Will said and Finn nodded, turning back to the sheet music with the others.
Will observed how well they worked together. Santana, Brittany, Matt and Mike were off in the corner working on dance moves and the rest were gathered around the table in the back already starting to practice their harmonizing vocals.
Rachel led the charge onto the bus, holding the first place trophy high over her head as the others cheered behind her. They all piled into their seats two by two, Rachel and Finn, Mercedes and Kurt, Quinn and Puck, Brittany and Santana, Matt and Mike, while Will waited outside with Tina while Artie was put onto the bus. They all chattered happily, still congratulating each other on their victory. Once Artie was properly seat-belted on the bus, Tina walked on and sat down next to him, followed by Will and then Emma, their smiles matching the brightness of the kids' smiles.
"Let's hear it for Mr. Schuester!" Finn shouted out and the glee kids burst out into louder cheers and applause.
The boys started to fist pump the air, cheering and shouting. "Go Mr. Schue!"
Will's face flushed and he waved his hands in the air, grinning widely. "Aw guys stop! Seriously!"
Emma grinned brightly up at Will, her happiness for their victory clearly showing in her eyes.
Rachel got up out of her seat and handed Will the trophy. "We never would have gotten this far if it weren't you Mr. Schue. Three cheers for the best choir director in the world!"
Will felt a pride and happiness fill him as he watched and heard his students launch into three rounds of "Hip, hip hoorays!".
"Guys, guys, guys." Will motioned for them to settle down as they continued to laugh and cheer.
After they finally did settle down Will spoke, "Thank you guys but really the compliments are all for you. I'm your teacher I'm here to guide you to be your best. You could've done all this without me you just needed the confidence. Look at the way you handled the set list fiasco. You averted total disaster by working together and learning that new song within an hour and you totally nailed it! Not just anybody can do that. You guys have worked so hard over the last couple of months and have been through so much that you deserve this." He lifted the trophy into the air.
"I agree with Wi--Mr. Schuester." Emma piped up, stepping all the way onto the bus to stand behind Will. "You kids did a phenomenal job out there today and you handled the situation very well. I am proud of all of you."
Bright grins were and each and everyone of their faces as they thanked both Will and Emma then started to converse with each other. Unlike earlier that morning their bus was lively and loud and full of excitement.
Will and Emma took a seat next to each other and the bus driver closed the door and started to head off. Will held the trophy on his lap and smiled down at the golden plate labeling the large trophy '1st prize'.
"Congratulations Will." He heard Emma's sweet voice pipe up from next to him. He turned to look over to her and saw her smiling up at him. Will smiled back but shook his head. "Its their victory not mine."
"That's where you're wrong Will." Emma replied. "This is your victory just as much as it is theirs. Of course they are the performers but they would be no where without a good coach. Will it was your guidance and leadership that helped them win today."
Will's happy smile turned into a more affectionate smile as he listened to Emma's words. He knew that she was right, she was always right. Emma could see the light and the truth in every situation and point it out in a way that made you feel good about yourself.
"Thank you Emma."
Emma smiled at him and gave a curt nod.
"And thank you for coming today." He added.
"Oh no problem." Emma's smile widened making his heart heart flutter. "I'm glad I came."
"They're glad you came too." Will said motioning towards the kids still chattering happily. "You're they're only fan in the whole school. It's nice to have someone other than me who supports them."
"They're great kids and they deserve the support. They need to be encouraged, it helps to build their confidence that they have someone rooting for them. Plus I'm not only their only fan I'm their number one fan." Emma replied happily with a small smirk.
Will laughed joyfully, the sound being heaven to her ears. She hadn't heard Will laugh like that in a very long time especially recently. Will's laugh was one of her favorite sounds, it was only third to Will's actual speaking voice in second and his singing voice in first.
"They love you too." Will said and Emma's eyes lit up.
"They do?"
Will nodded and smiled softly. "Yes, you are after all their number one fan." He winked at her and Emma giggled, her face crinkling up in a happy smile.
Her smile started to fall when she caught sight of Will's wrist watch or rather the time displayed on it. It was almost nearing one o'clock and her wedding at four. Her wedding. For the last few weeks she finally been adjusting to the idea of marrying Ken although secretly, all along she never wanted to. But after all she just went through at Sectionals how could she? The thought of marrying Ken caused a feeling of dread in her stomach.
Emma glanced back up at Will who was too busy admiring his trophy to sense her discomfort. Seeing him so happy and so proud of his students and experiencing that joyful time with him when the kids won and hugging him again and realizing she never wanted to let go, brought all of her deep feelings for him back to the surface. They were all right there Emma even feared that they were obvious.
She couldn't marry Ken. She couldn't.
Emma stood in front of the mirror in one of the back rooms. She was in her wedding dress, the one that fit her perfectly and even she thought she looked stunning in it. Her hair was pulled up into a neat up-do and she had a light coat of make up on. She didn't want to make it too heavy because she knew she would be crying.
Emma couldn't believe she was getting married. She, Emma Pillsbury, was getting married. The thought brought chills to her spine. She was in such a state of shock that she couldn't move from her place in front of the mirror.
A knock sounded on the door and voice called in to her telling her that they were ready. Emma's brown eyes widened even more and she took a deep breathe, suddenly shaking. A small smile tugged at her lips as she tried to convince herself that she was ready.
Emma finally was able to move from her spot and walk towards the door. She grabbed her bouquet off of the table, opened the door and stepped outside. The hallway was empty but she could hear the wedding march from down the hall. She closed her eyes, took another deep breath and headed towards the door, still not believing that she was actually doing this.
As she approached the door, the music got louder but her pounding heart still overpowered the sound. She stood in front of the door and the two doormen opened it for her, revealing the red carpeted aisle and her future husband waiting at the other end.
Emma was still shaking, her heart beat still pounding but a smile, unlike any of her others, spread across her face. She slowly marched down the aisle keeping her eyes on the man waiting for her at the alter who was beaming at her.
As she approached the alter, he held out his hand for her and she slipped her hand into his and as he led her close, she kept her gaze locked on the gorgeous hazel eyes that she loved so much.
As the wedding march came to a finale, he lifted his hand and caressed her cheek lightly.
Emma closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, breathing out his name, "Will..."
Emma opened her eyes and suddenly found herself in front of a mirror. She looked around and realized that she was in her bedroom. The clock next to her bed told her that she had only been home an hour and she still had two more hours to go until the wedding. She looked down at the wedding dress which she had just put on, the same wedding dress that she had on when she and Will danced. That memory would forever be in her brain, she had never been that close to Will before. Even through the glove she could feel the warmth of his hands, the times when he would place his hand on her waist it felt like fire and the warmth spread to her whole body. She had never felt more comfortable and more safe in a man's arms than that time.
Emma's mind drifted to the day dream she had just had and she realized something. The only way wearing a wedding dress would feel right to her is if Will was on the opposite end. She closed her eyes and tried to picture the same dream sequence but with Ken there instead of Will.
.....The door opened....
........red carpet.......
......curly hair.....
She shook her head and tried it again.
.....door.....
...carpet...
....hazel eyes....
....door....
....carpet....
...warm, loving smile....
Emma opened her eyes and stared at herself. Her dreams, her life, her everything was focused on one person. That one person was not the man she was supposed to be marrying in less than two hours.
Emma nodded to her reflection. She knew what she had to do. She turned away from the mirror and walked towards her phone.
She punched in a number that she had memorized after thinking about calling it several times to cancel a date. Emma let out a breath and waited while the phone rang.
"Emma?" Ken's voice on the other end sounded nervous.
Emma felt horrible for what she was about to do. She didn't want to hurt Ken, he was a good man. But that was why she had to do it. It wasn't fair to him.
"Hi Ken." Emma let out a breath. "Look, I have to say something."
"Stop." Ken's voice commanded gently. "I know what you're going to say Emma."
Emma's eyes widened and she swallowed. "Y-you do?"
"I'm not stupid Emma. Do you think I don't know what you would be thinking after spending the whole morning with him."
Emma closed her eyes and looked down, suddenly feeling ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry Ken." She whispered.
"It was dumb of me to ask in the first place. I should have known better."
"I'm sorry I couldn't love you Ken." Emma said sincerely. "You are a good man and you deserve to be loved."
"I know how hard it is to forget someone that you're in love with. That's why I held on to you for too long. I thought I might have had a chance, I should have realized that your heart always belonged somewhere else." Ken let out a deep sigh. "I'll cancel the reservations."
"I'm sorry." She whispered again, not knowing what else to say.
"Goodbye Emma."
"Goo-" Before she could even finish her statement, the phone clicked in her ear. Emma closed her eyes tightly and let her hand fall to her side. She was extremely relieved that she was not going to be married but she still felt horrible for breaking his heart.
Emma placed the phone back on its holder and headed towards the bathroom to change out of her wedding dress.
For the next couple of hours she dedicated her time to cleaning her house to distract her from thoughts of her almost wedding. She scrubbed the bathroom until it literally shined and then started on the kitchen. She scrubbed the counters and the tables and chairs and was halfway done with the floor when she heard a knock on her door.
She lifted her head up and stared curiously towards her front door. She never got visitors and the last time someone had knocked on her door it had been Will.
Still with her gloves on, Emma walked towards the door and opened it. Sure enough, there was Will Schuester at her doorstep. However, instead of looking horribly upset and lost, he looked confuse and a little concerned, adorned in a tux. Emma's mind immediately flickered to that day dream she'd had earlier.
"Will?" She questioned.
"Emma." He simply said and then looked at her clothing. She was dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt, something Will had never seen her in. But even more peculiar to him was why she was dressed like that in the first place. "It's four thirty Emma. Wasn't your wedding at four?"
Emma's mouth formed a little "o" and she glanced down at the ground. She let out a deep breath. "Why don't you come in Will?"
Will stepped inside and Emma closed the door behind him. Will furrowed his brow, following a silent Emma back into the kitchen.
"Did something happen?"
Emma nodded and slowly turned around to face him. "The wedding is off."
Will's jaw dropped slightly and he cocked his head. "What? What happened?"
Emma sighed. "We both realized it wasn't going to work. We mutually decided to call off the wedding." Then she added, "Because I went to sectionals."
Will's face fell but then contorted up in confusion. "I thought you said Ken was fine with you going to Sectionals."
Emma's eyes widened and she swallowed the lump in her throat, shaking her head. "He wasn't." She whispered.
Will stood there in shocked silence for several moments. "Emma...I...I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything Will." She shook her head, leaned over to pick up her bucket and placed it on the counter, her back facing him. "It wasn't working out anyway. It would have been a mistake to marry him and we all know that." She emptied the soapy water into the sink.
"The truth is..." She began, not actually believing she was going to say it. "I am in love with someone else but he's...currently unavailable."
Emma took off her gloves and placed them in the sink. She was about to reach for the faucet to wash her hands when she heard three words out escape Will's mouth that almost stopped her heart.
"No I'm not."
A/N: Yes my lovelies that is where I am leaving you. I was very displeased by the lack of reviews last chapter and I hate to bribe but please review if you'd like to see the next chapter up soon!