Dayton

by PrettyLittleAgent

Will and Quinn still were not entirely sure how this whole thing started, and they had absolutely no idea how it would end... the non-linear tale of one night in one city and the consequences that never seem to end.

8. The Survey of the Damage

Set at the start of Season Three. Grace is about 16 months at this point.

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The pink-haired Quinn Fabray was... wrong... just completely wrong. No one was sure what happened to the girl during the summer (although tales of her joining a lesbian biker gang were rife), but whatever it was, it was drastic. The more thoughtful of the McKinley High student body (read: The New Directions) all quietly wondered if it had something to do with the summer relocation of Will and Grace Schuester to New York City for a stint in CrossRhodes, but no one wanted to voice that aloud. It was a thought that could easily go down the wrong path and remaining ignorant to the tide of Mr. Schue and Quinn's relationship seemed like something they can all agree upon.

When everyone walked into the Choir room for the first Glee meeting of the year, many a jaw fell slack when Shelby Corcoran greeted them instead of Mr. Schue. The explanation that Will's show was running a tad bit longer than expected fell on uninterested ears as Quinn, who had only barely sat down in her chair, stood up abruptly and strides out of the room, her muttered this is lame bullshit seeming to taint the room.

Over the course of the next few weeks Quinn made it a habit to show up irregularly to Glee. It boggled the mind of most as to why Shelby let it happen, but something about both of them having seemingly lost their babies gave them a kinship that most people couldn't understand. As Ms. Corcoran tried to rekindle the broken bond between her and Rachel, Quinn seemed to be flailing, her rebellion seeming to become more permanent and also more painful for her at the same time.

Everything changed on a weird Friday in late September.

It was a strangely cold day in Lima. The sun was completely covered by a layer of dark clouds that poured down rain at random intervals; however, instead of everyone being dreary, the whole of the city seemed to be in a good mood.

Except for Quinn, but that seemed to be expected.

As the final bell rang and everyone drifted off to their afterschool activities, Quinn took her leisurely stroll through the school, deciding if she wanted to attend Glee that day. It was starting to be harder and harder for her to go in there and sit and listen to Shelby and watch her give these longing looks to Rachel.

It was terrifying because she was seriously starting to wonder if that would be her and Grace in years to come.

It also didn't help that every time she sat in those chairs and watched Ms. Corcoran, she was desperately longing for it to be Will instead. Having to sit and watch someone else direct the club was like pressing on a sore.

All she really wanted was her family back, but as the time went by she was starting to think they didn't want her.

As she came up to her locker, the sound of merriment coming from the choir room began to reach her ears. It was a level of excitement that the club hadn't had since Nationals and it intrigued Quinn too much for her not to check it out. Turning the corner to walk into the room, she stopped dead in her tracks. The head of brown curls standing beside Shelby was unexpected, and instead of filling her with relief, the sight seemed to cause her to feel a flood of something else... something not entirely pleasant, like anger and sadness and shock all twisted together with the chill of the day.

Tina noticed her first, the smile on her face becoming unsure. Quickly, everyone else picked up on Tina's stare and soon the whole of the club was looking at her. Everyone sort of thought that with Mr. Schue back and normalcy soon to be restored, Quinn would magically appear as her old self.

Clearly not.

It took a second for Ms. Corcoran and the returning champion (the title Quinn had suddenly bestowed upon him) to turn around. Shelby turned first and her classic sigh at the sight of the girl fell from her lips. Will, a little slower, just stared. His face, which had been filled with excited happiness at seeing his students (well, almost filled, considering his disappointment at not seeing Quinn when he'd walked in), dropped into a shocked frown.

This wasn't what he'd wanted.

This wasn't his Quinn.

This wasn't Gracie's mom.

This wasn't a carefree student released of all her burdens so she could shine.

His mind suddenly flashed to Dayton, the place where everything started, a night where Quinn had played dress up and he'd fallen under her spell.

This time, however, she wasn't casting a spell to pull him under... this time she was casting a spell to push him away.

"Welcome back." Her sarcasm cut like a knife and the entire room suddenly found itself enraptured by the scene that seems like it's about to play out in front of them. For a club full of gossipers and surprisingly catty people, the policy to avoid the Mr. Schue/Quinn situation was an unspoken agreement that everyone was actually quite proud they managed to maintain for as long as they did. However, they all silently agreed that if it were to be shoved in their faces, it would be completely fine if they watched it. "I think you missed the start of school though."

"Quinn-"

"Where is she?" No one needs to ask who she is. Will took a moment to very obviously look Quinn over before he answered the question.

"Grace is with my parents... and by the looks of things that is probably where she is going to be for a while." Quinn's jaw clenched and her nostrils flared as her eyes took on a hardened quality that was borderline murderous in some of their minds. Her entire body seemed to tense and pretty much everyone seemed to expect her to lash out at Will either verbally or even physically. So when she instead simply turned around and stalked off, the unfamiliar voice shouting Hey! as a locker was slammed violently the only noise anyone hears, no one knows what to make of it. Confusion settles throughout the room as everyone discussed what they just saw. Shelby made a move to try to comfort Will but he immediately ducked out of her way, his eyes still focused on the door and his stomach in knots.

It was taking all the strength he had not to run after her, but he knew that not only is this not the place to do it, but that it wouldn't do him any good. A deep uneasiness started to settle in his gut as he considered what he should do about the mother of his child. The fact he can't come up with anything made the situation worse, and ultimately he was stuck trying to figure out where he went wrong: leaving Lima, or ever coming back.

He spent the rest of the rehearsal unsettled. The meeting failed to recapture the excitement and happiness they'd had in those brief moments between when he arrived and Quinn showed up, leaving him disappointed. Shelby tried to lighten the mood by suggesting everyone perform their favorite number from the times they had practiced without him and while it seemed to bolster the mood of everyone else, it only served to remind Will of how long he'd been gone. By the time Mercedes started singing Beyonce's "Best Thing I Never Had" he wanted to hide out in his office and cry. The only joy he could find was the knowledge he'd be able to see Grace soon, but the idea that he wouldn't be able to reunite her with Quinn like he'd planned dampened his mood again. He breathed a sigh of relief when Puck finished "Born to Run", signaling the end to the performances and the practice as a whole.

"Guys, I'm so impressed with all the songs! I think we might even have a couple of contenders for Sectionals in there! We'll talk about it next week though, you all go home and I'll see you Monday." Will didn't have to tell anyone twice and most of the room was quick to leave. He felt more then saw the eyes of Shelby upon him as he watched the last of the group leave the choir room to head home. All during the rehearsal he'd known she'd spent more time watching him than the students, but he couldn't quite figure out what her angle was. Shelby was a frustrating woman on the best of days, her stubbornness and emotions coming together with her determination to create a very shrewd woman. He'd never known her not to have some sort of plan up her sleeve, and ever since he'd asked her to fill in for him he'd been wondering what had been in it for her.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," he'd joked lamely as he finally turned his head her way, taking in her relaxed posture but sharp eyes.

"For someone who just had the experience of his life, you seem..." she pursed her lips together as she thought, looking him over once more. "You seem defeated." Will chuckled uncomfortably as he leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling as he figured out what to say.

"Have you ever gotten exactly what you wanted, only to find out it wasn't anywhere close to what you expected?" The flash of pain that crossed Shelby's face reminded him that she knew that feeling only too well. "God, I'm sorry, that was stupid of me to-"

"No, it's fine." She waved off his concerns with a flick of her hand, trying to avoid his focus. "You didn't enjoy the show?"

"No, no, I loved the show. Being on a Broadway stage... it was one of the best moments of my life." They both share a smile at the shared experience they both can claim, their respective runs in different shows highlights in their somewhat disappointing lives. "But it wasn't the greatest... it wasn't even what I'm most proud of."

"What is?"

"Grace." The way his face lit up at the mention of his daughter's name provided Shelby with the greatest glimpse of a truly happy Will she'd seen all day. She was envious of the fact he had the relationship she always wanted, not just with Rachel but with the baby she'd thought she might have been able to make hers. "I was putting my wants in front of what was best for her, and when I realized that, I wasn't happy anymore... doing that show became a chore." He took a moment to look around the Choir room, really inspecting it for the first time since his arrival. The familiar walls gave him a sense of comfort and belonging. "Lima has its faults and it certainly isn't as glamorous as New York, but it's my home and more importantly it's Gracie's. I can't keep her from it anymore, I just can't," Will shakes his head as he stands up, feeling a need to move around the room. He was starting to find the topic of the conversation uncomfortable, not liking to talk about his failings with someone who he doesn't really know he can trust.

"Is that what that whole thing with Quinn was about?" He was lucky he had his back to Shelby or else the pain in his eyes would have given away the entire state of affairs to the observant brunette.

"It certainly wasn't what I was expecting."

"You know, I heard about how involved Quinn was in Grace's life, and I have to admit, I was surprised to hear you let her act like she's that baby's mom."

"Well, she is." Will looked at Shelby with confusion, completely unsure of what she was trying to get at and how he was supposed to respond.

"She might have given birth to her and she might help take care of her, but you clearly don't plan on having her raise her. You packing up and taking your family to New York showed that." Will physically winched as he heard the woman's interpretation of events, slowly starting to realize and put together the pieces he'd need to get though to Quinn. "When I gave up Rachel, I felt lost. No matter what I told myself, I'd considered myself a mom for 9 months and when I suddenly didn't have that anymore... I was a mess." Shelby places a comforting hand on Will's shoulder before she continues. "Quinn was a mom and then she wasn't. Once she realizes who she is without that, she'll return to normal and might even be able to see Gracie at that point. Right now though, if you bring that baby anywhere near her, you're gonna be giving her false hope. She's not gonna be that little girl's mom, and she has to realize that."

"I really fucked it up this time, didn't I?" It was a rhetorical question and Shelby knew it. Not bothering to answer, she gave him a gentle rub on the back before starting to walk over to get her stuff ready to leave, knowing she'd done enough for the day.

"What matters now though is that you're making it right."

No I'm not, he thinks, I've made it incredibly worse.

Will didn't say much as Shelby finally made her way out of the room, shouting out something about not beating himself up over everything as she went. He sat in his old seat for just a little while longer before that familiar ache from not seeing Gracie in awhile started to sink in and he had to go get her from his parents. He didn't want to think much about what Quinn must have been feeling without her daughter available to her at all time, but it crept into his mind regardless, and he had to stop himself from walking into traffic at the idea of the pain he put her through.

His parents' house was in no way what he considered his childhood home (that burnt down after a drunken fight between his parents), but his memories there were still pleasant ones. He pulled into the open garage where his dad's car was normally parked let himself into the house with his key. Immediately, he smelled his mom's baked macaroni and cheese and smiled at the thought that she most likely cooked it for him as a treat.

"Hey Mom, is that macaroni I smell?" He called out in way of greeting, unsure of where she or Grace was. As he made his way into the kitchen, he caught sight of his mother dishing out a helping of food on one of her nice plates, and he found himself reminded of the similar scene from months earlier staring Quinn instead. His mind was saved from wandering down that misery-making path when he noticed a clothes hamper sitting on the floor and moving slightly.

"Why yes it is, dear, and I made it just for you as a thank you for letting me watch Gracie today." His mother smiled as she turned around to offer him the plate. Instead of taking it, Will crouched down as he got close to the hamper, his mood quickly elevating the nearer he got.

"Now Mom, did you watch Gracie, or did you wash-" Will stopped in his tracks when Gracie's head suddenly popped out of the hamper, looking around to find where his voice came from. When she caught sight of him, her face lit up and he quickly grabbed her and pulled her out of the mound of clothing, wrapping her up in his arms for a hug which she somehow managed to return. "Well, hello to you too!"

"She's been babbling Dada for the past 20 minutes. I think she can sense when you're on your way to her." His mom placed his plate down on the table before going over and scooping out a non-baked version of the meal onto one of Gracie's plates. Will kissed the toddler's forehead before moving over to her high-chair and dropping her in, only having to deal with a minor amount of fuss that ended when he sat down right next to her.

"You know you can't eat in my lap Grace Marie, you get us too messy." His girl giggled in response before grabbing her Sippy cup and bringing it to her mouth, watching him get situated at the table. He grabbed his fork and started eating, pausing as he stabbed a bunch of noodles to look over at Gracie, who had her own plate in front of her. The latest initiative within the group of her caregivers was to push the use of utensils to eat, but the toddler seemed determined not to use them for eating and instead as projectiles (throwing things was still her preferred way of showing her displeasure, but she also did it for the fun of the reaction from adults). Will watched as she completely ignored the baby fork and spoon his mom had given her and instead used her hands to pick up one of the wagon-wheel shaped noodles she'd been given and bring it to her mouth, still grinning at him as she did so.

"This child insists on making a mess at every meal, doesn't she? We'll have to clean her up good before we let her into that new car of yours." Will smiled as he briefly looked out into the garage at his brand new Volvo. It was a luxury he had never thought he'd be able to afford, but the surprising popularity of April's show had afforded him a decent salary as well as an unexpected and continuing cut of the profits due to a production credit he hadn't known he would be receiving, which allowed him the ability to purchase one of the safest cars he could think of.

"The beauty of leather, though, is that it doesn't stain easily." Will grimaces as he remembers the juice spill of that morning before he dug into his meal, commenting back and forth with his mom and watching Gracie as she got messier and messier. By the time he was finally done, Grace had managed to turn herself and her chair into a masterpiece of cheese-based art, the sort of mess that Will and his mother can't help but just sigh out.

"We really have to get her onboard with the fork."

"I keep trying but getting her to learn something new and sticking to it is usually Quinn's forte." He paused in his movement briefly once the words sank in. It was another reminder of how not having Quinn had hindered Grace in the long run, and the fact he hadn't ever put any real thought into how he would raise Gracie without her mother around.

"That girl is a just a godsend in every way." There were a lot of things he could say to that at the moment, a lot of feelings he could get out and even secrets he could tell, but that was all wrong and not at all how he truly felt.

"She is, isn't she?"

As he cleaned up Gracie and listened to his mother griping about never seeing his father now that he was taking more classes, he considered what it would be like walking into the apartment building knowing that Quinn was just a few walls away (although really, now that he'd seen her, he knew the distance between them was actually much farther). He'd spent the entire summer clinging to the idea that he'd come back to a happy Quinn who was grateful for the sacrifice he made and understood that she was too good to be tied down to a middle-age teacher who was too scared to live out his dreams (he'd argue to everyone that April's show was simply a fluke that only happened because he knew someone and not because of actual talent). The fact she was looking unhappier than ever before was something he wasn't prepared for. The weird surge of anger he'd felt when he saw her had completely thrown him for a loop (was he angry at himself for causing it or at Quinn for not doing what he'd expected?).

He left his parent's with a promise to be there by 10 AM to drop off Gracie so he could spend a few hours at school, catching up on grades and everything else there was to take care of in the relative peace of a high school on a Saturday. The thought of actively returning to teacher mode filled him with both excitement and dread, and he was anxious to go over the stuff Shelby has done. As he put Grace into her car seat, he found his mind wandering over to the topic of Quinn and whether she'd make an appearance at the apartment that night. Now that she knew he was back in town, there really was nothing stopping her, and he knew that only hell fire would be enough to keep her from Grace, but the way she had stomped out without so much as a fight in the choir room still left him uncomfortable.

The fact he and Grace had been back in Lima for two days now and he had avoided Quinn like the plague had made him feel guilty as hell. He knew, as much as he denied it, that part of the reason he'd wasted no time in driving from the airport to the Volvo dealership was so that Quinn wouldn't notice his car in the parking lot. He also knew that he'd only been at the apartment during school hours so as to avoid her as well. Will felt like an ass but he knew he wasn't ready to face her alone - he wouldn't be able to handle all the feelings that seeing her again would bring and still maintain his resolve to not be in love with her anymore.

Or at least act like it.

Because he couldn't ever stop loving Quinn. At least, not really. Not when they had a child between them, and not when he'd invested so much in the relationship they had. You could only maintain a secret like the one they had, only be able to keep up with all the lies and hidden things they said and did, if you truly cared about it.

But the problem with secrets was that over time they could poison you, turn you into something dark. Quinn was too vibrant of a person, too filled with potential to become a victim to a secret. The only problem there seemed to be was that in trying to free her from the burden, he seemed to make her worse.

He stopped the car at a red light and briefly glanced back in the mirror to check on Gracie. The stuffed lamb Quinn had given her ages ago was planted firmly in her lap, her little arms wrapped tightly around it, while she turned her head as she tried to keep track of the lights and reflections of people around her. Will couldn't help but smile at the look of wonder that always seemed to cross her face when she was enraptured by something, and it wasn't the first time that he compared that look to the one Quinn had when she, too, saw something fascinating. As he watched her gawk at the tall, balding man in a pink shirt that passed them (no, it wasn't Sandy, thank the Lord), he wondered for the first time if Grace would actually recognize her mother when she saw her. The fact was that Quinn looked fairly different now then she had for much of Grace's life. The long blonde locks that Grace loved were gone, and that would be enough trauma for the girl. The added pink would certainly throw her for a loop. Add in the piercings and the makeup and it would even be hard for him to spot her in a crowd, let alone a 16 month old baby.

If Grace rejected Quinn, he didn't know what he would do, and he couldn't even begin to imagine how Quinn would react either.

Nothing about this is going the way I wanted it, he fumed, his anger at the universe for not letting his life be simple for once starting to grow. I was just trying to do the right thing by everyone for the first time in a while... why the hell couldn't it just go the way I wanted? The problem with that was that as much as Will might rationally think that ending things with Quinn was best, that she really wanted to be the regular teenager that ran for Prom Queen and flirted between two guys and went out to Color Me Mine on Fridays, the part he was desperate to ignore knew she didn't. Maybe she might have at first, but all Quinn had ever really wanted was a firm place in the world, to love and be loved, to have something to call her own. He knew she found it with Gracie.

He also knew she found it with him.

But he shouldn't have let her, and now he was hell-bent on making the choices that he had failed to make over two years ago. He would not allow them to go back to what they were, he'd demand they establish a new order and come hell or high-water, they'd stick to it.

His new found resolve led him to confidently walk in their apartment building. Grace hugged against his chest and the various bags he'd left at his parents for her were hanging off his shoulder. He wasn't even going to look over at Quinn's door when they passed it, but Gracie had other plans. As soon as she caught sight of the familiar yellow paint, her little body started struggling against his, trying to free herself from his arms so she could head over to where she knew her momma was. A litany of Mama began to fall from her lips, and it took Will a second to be able to cope.

"No Miss Grace, it's too late for that. You need to sleep." The idea it would be too late for her mother seemed not to compute with the child (did he really expect it to?) and instead of calming down, her little feet started to kick and the tears began to form. Will knew they were heading for a meltdown, and he half-expected Quinn to come storming out of her apartment, all pink haired and furious, but nothing happened. Just more wailing on Gracie's part and the sound of shuffling behind Mrs. Weiss' door. Before the older lady could peek out, Will hurried to his door and unlocked it, shuffling into the apartment just in time to avoid an encounter.

He sat Gracie down on the floor gently, expecting her to run off or start to make a scene because she didn't get what she wanted, but instead she simply sat there and looked at him, accusing him of the worst type of cruelty with her eyes. It was the first time he ever felt shamed by his own child, and for a second he considered calling Quinn and making her come over as fast as possible so Gracie could see her. But then he remembered just what version of Quinn they'd be seeing and he realized that maybe not seeing her was the best option. He didn't want her to see that Quinn, he wanted her to maintain that image of the beautiful, long haired girl who smiled like the sun and could own the room the minute she stepped in.

Again, it might break his little girl's heart, but at the end of the day he thought it was worth it.

The fact was, he was pretty good at rationalizing by this point, and he figured he could probably convince himself to believe in any position by now if he tried hard enough.

Big Foot is real... and so is Santa.

Will laughed for a second at his joke before he began to move around the apartment, grabbing Gracie and settling her into her playpen as he did so. While he'd been away in NYC, he'd rented the apartment out to a company who had a worker in town for the summer. As soon as the guy had left, his parents had gone ahead and returned all the boxes of stuff he's been storing with them and done a fairly good job of restoring the apartment to its original glory. All he found himself having to do was put the stuff in they'd taken with them and figure out where to put all the stuff he'd brought back (mostly new toys for Grace, although he had gotten himself a few things. There was also a bag of stuff he'd purchased for Quinn, but he was choosing to ignore it, just like every other impulse he felt towards her). Realizing he'd never thanked them for setting everything up for him, he quickly pulled out his phone and dialed while he straightened up a few DVDs.

"Did you forget something, dear?" His mother's voice was light, and the smile on his face grew in response.

"Yeah, actually. I forgot to thank you guys for bringing over all the storage boxes and unpacking them for me. Let me tell you, it's made it a lot easier for Grace and I to get settled."

"Will, your dad and I brought those boxes over, but we sure didn't unpack them, that was that sweetheart Quinn." Even though she was still talking, Will had already tuned her out, focusing instead on the fact Quinn had been in there and most likely spent the better part of a day or two fixing up everything for his return. He could picture her floating around, probably deciding to ignore the fact he'd told her they'd be having a serious talk after he returned, and instead thinking about how good it would be for them to be back together again as a family. The fact that his mom called her a sweetheart obviously meant that she hadn't shown up looking like she had at school, and it made him consider for a second just how real the facade was, but that questioning was soon overwhelmed by the notion of the disappointment and sadness Quinn must have felt when she realized he wasn't coming back when he said he would, that she would be separated even longer from her little girl.

He felt like scum of the earth at this point... and it was a decidedly unpleasant feeling.

The phone call died out quickly when he heard his dad come in on the other line, telling his wife to stop talking Will's ear off and come eat with him. The interactions of a couple, although dysfunctional they may be, only served to drive home the loneliness he'd trust upon himself and Quinn, and he threw his phone into the couch cushion in annoyance. The thud was enough to draw the attention of Grace, who abandoned her My Pal Violet and grabbed the side of the playpen to pull herself up and stare at him.

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions Gracie. And I think that is a lesson no one is going to be able to teach you as well as me." The little girl simply batted her eyes at his bitterness, reaching her hands up to let him know she wanted out. Rolling his head to release the ever-growing tension, he walked across the room and scooped the little girl up. "I just didn't want to trap your Momma in this life Grace... I was just trying to free her." Will smiled as Grace nuzzled her head into his shoulder, her hand coming up to play with the buttons on his shirt. "But I shouldn't have left like I did, I shouldn't have taken you away from her... that just hurt everyone, didn't it?" She didn't answer, of course, just continued to play with his shirt and starting to babble the mix of sounds and words she had learned.

Will spent the rest of the night feeling restless, his mind wrecked by the dilemma of what to do. It seemed clear to him that they couldn't continue on the way they were now, but the nagging conscience he had developed also refused to allow the idea of them returning to where they had been. Starting to slip into sleep, his nose caught the faint scent of vanilla and flowers that was Quinn's favorite perfume. He couldn't stop the smile from crossing his features, remembering a morning when she'd changed the sheets on his bed and then sprayed her pillow lightly with the fragrance, telling him how that was the secret to why her hair always smelled fantastic. Before he thought himself out of it, he quickly turned over and buried his face in the pillow he still considered hers, on the side of the bed he'd had been trying to avoid.

He awoke the next morning in the same position and found himself feeling more rested then he had been in months. His dreams had lacked the normal bite they had taken to having over the summer, and instead he recalled images of a smiling and laughing Quinn dancing around him in a lace dress. He made his way slowly out of bed, not wanting to leave the haven he had seemed to have fallen into, but he could hear Gracie moving around in her crib and knew she needed to be changed and fed. Shuffling down the hallway and opening the door, he smiled at the sight of the girl standing up against the side of the crib.

"DADA!"

"Good morning, Baby Grace." His voice lacked the abundance of energy that Grace had, his body still too relaxed to get to that state, but that didn't stop her from being thrilled by his words, and by the time he picked her up she was practically bouncing. Her excitement continued over to the changing table, where it took him suddenly singing I'll Make a Man Out of You from Mulan to stun her into wonderment. He smiled at the wide-eyed grin she had, and when he finished changing her, he quickly grabbed her and swung her up into the air, causing the giggles to come out again.

Gracie in the morning was always entertaining, trying to turn her food into artwork and get him in on the action. This morning, their first real one back in the apartment, she seemed a little bit perplexed, and it took him a moment to realize she was probably missing Quinn. It was a revelation that hit him so hard it caused him to stop cutting up the fruit he'd been working on and sighed. He looked over his shoulder and took in the sight of Gracie in her high chair, glancing around as if she expected something, or someone, else to be there.

Will started to remember all the different mornings the three of them had shared in this kitchen, songs or the TV sometimes providing a soundtrack. Quinn had always been fond of dancing around to amuse Grace on the mornings she wasn't quite as energized as normal or setting cinnamon rolls to bake so that they could all enjoy a few moments together instead of worrying about food. Those were the mornings where he was so sure that what they were doing was right, and he longed to return to that certainty, but his mind wouldn't let him, not since April had come back. She had brought him not only the chance to live out his dream but the insight to see that as long as things remained the same, Quinn probably wouldn't see hers.

Not that he really thought to consider that her dreams might not be so grand as his.

His realization set him back a few minutes, delaying the time he managed to get both of them ready and over to his parents. The smiles on their faces as they took in Gracie always made him feel this mix of joy and guilt: joy that they got to experience the pleasure of having a grandchild, but guilt they couldn't know the truth behind her parentage. The guilt followed him all the way to school and it made him double down even harder when he started to look over all the assignments Shelby had left for him.

A different teacher hadn't been enough to push them into caring about Spanish; that was for sure.

It took him over an hour just to get through one batch of the freshmen's journal entries, and the fact he had over 3 other batches to look at in that class alone made him groan. As he leaned his head on his hand, his ears caught the thud of someone trudging down the hallway, sounding like they were on a mission. He assumed they were heading for the weekend detention he knew was being held the next hall over, so he didn't pay it much mind. Instead he chose to pull out his phone and bring up the picture he made sure to carry with him everywhere, one of a sleeping Gracie and a gently smiling Quinn holding her against her chest. The photo always had the ability to draw him away from what he was thinking and back to the moment it was taken, one cold Tuesday afternoon in the winter where the snow had been so bad that school had been canceled and they spent the entire day sequestered within the apartment. Will was so caught up in the memories that he failed to pay attention to the grungy figure that entered his office, only snapping back to attention when the voice he'd been missing let out words he never expected to hear.

"You're a son of a bitch, you know that?"

It was the fire in her eyes that caught his attention first. Those eyes that he'd seen filled with passion and love and happiness looked the greenest he'd ever seen them. He gulped under the pressure of her stare, and he found himself unable to respond to her question.

"You've been in town for days now and you didn't even bother to tell me... didn't even think to call me so I could see my baby. What the hell have I ever done to you to make you hate me-"

"I don't hate you Quinn. I could never hate you." He quickly interrupted her, having sense enough to realize he should dispel that insane notion from her head.

"You sure could have fooled me." She stepped up closer to his desk, her pink hair catching the light. It was that glare of pink that finally snapped him out of his daze and got him to take in the entire picture of Quinn looking like some silly imitation of Joan Jett. The anger he'd felt the day before when he'd taken a good look at her started to rise again, and it must have shown on his face. "Oh Will, you never could lie to me very well... you might not hate me, but you sure don't like me right now. I don't know why... isn't this what you told me to be?" She gestured at herself, trying to keep him from looking into her eyes and seeing how much his scorn was hurting her, but he was smart enough to avoid the trap.

"What the hell is going on with you, Quinn?"

"I'm being a normal teenager. I'm rebelling and doing stupid shit like dying my hair and smoking and drinking... just like you wanted." Her cold tone subtly broke at the last part and Will felt like the scum of the Earth again. His words from that night in New York were being thrown back into his face, and they made him almost cringe as if he was physically hit.

"You knew I didn't really want you to do exactly that." His response sounded lame even to his own ears and it managed to have the unintended effect of seemingly pissing Quinn off even more.

"No, I didn't, Will. I didn't know anything that night just as much as I don't know anything now." As she started to talk, her voice became more and more frustrated, a feeling he was mirroring as well. "I don't even understand how we got here, how any of this happened... I can't even begin to guess what the hell got into your head and made you ruin the amazing thing we had going on." She looked at him expectantly, as if this was going to be his chance to come clean, as if he was aching to tell her and she was giving him the perfect opportunity. Instead a wall seemed to come up, as if he knew that this could end up going down a road where he'll break the promise he made to himself that he would give up being in love with Quinn so she could be the free spirit he wanted her to be.

"I'm sorry I kept you from Grace." He caught the longing look that took her over for a second at the mention of their daughter's name, "I never intended-" He stopped, closed his eyes and his mouth for a second and took a deep breath, needing to find the right words to say what he wanted without getting too into things. "You can see Grace. You can come over whenever, just like before... but you have to drop this whole act." He sensed she was about to say something, some bit of anger coming back, but he decided to nip that in the bud. "I'm not sure she would recognize you right now looking the way you do... and we both know she'd grab that nose ring in a heartbeat." His funny comment that was meant to soften his previous words failed, and he found no comfort in the stricken look that settled itself on Quinn's face. The notion that Grace wouldn't recognize her seemed to kill her and Will had to stop himself from stepping around the desk and wrapping his arms around her.

"I can be cleaned up in an hour" They both knew that it probably isn't true, but her determination and eagerness to see her daughter had been known to do amazing things, and a complete 180 when it comes to her looks seemed like something she could accomplish. Will smiled and looked at his desk and all the work on it, then back to Quinn. Giving her the option of seeing Gracie had transformed her entire demeanor, a nervous smile now on her face and her leg quaking with energy.

"I was going to be here all day grading-" Her face fell briefly. "But I guess I can take all of this home and grade while you watch her." The smile returned and he was reminded of just how beautiful she was, even when she was hiding behind this mask. "Give me a bit to pack up and go over to my parents to grab her. Then, you can head over"

"I'm sure I'll still be washing this out." Her hand reached up to self-consciously tug at her hair. Will expected that she came into the office braced for some sort of fight, and the lack of one had left her unsettled. Again he had to suppress the urge to move closer to her and still the nervous energy starting to bound around her.

"You know, if it wasn't for everything, I'd say that the pink was actually kind of cute." The words popped out before he could stop them and immediately he stilled in packing, looking wide-eyed at Quinn to see her reaction.

It was exactly what he expected, and not at all what he wanted.

The nervous smile had turned into that coy one, the one that had many a time had gotten him to abandon what he was doing and get caught up in her. It was the smile Will was worried about, the smile that he'd been dying to avoid, and here he was, causing it with his stupid little comments.

This whole not loving Quinn was almost impossible for him.

"I, ummm, I need to call my parents and let them know to get her ready." He cleared his throat nervously as he reached for the phone, avoiding another look at the girl in front of him. If Quinn sensed his discomfort, she didn't say anything, choosing instead to take the hint and head for the door. Before she left, she paused, looking back over her shoulder at Will.

"Make sure you hurry up. I want my baby."

She left without another word, the stomping from before replaced by the graceful stride he was used to watching from behind. Shaking his head, he dialed his parent's number, shoving stacks of papers into his bag as he listened to it ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mom, change of plans, I need you to get Gracie ready for me to pick up."

"But Sweetie, she just got here, and she and your father are having so much fun." Will smiled at her protests, enjoying the way people couldn't get enough of his little girl.

"I realize that, and you guys can see her later, but Quinn wants to see her and I-"

"Well gosh Will, why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Will heard the telltale sound of her moving the phone away from her mouth and knew what was going to happen next. "HENRY? GET GRACIE'S STUFF TOGETHER! WILL'S LETTING QUINN WATCH HER." He could hear the sound of his father calling back and soon he heard an entire conversation between them, him being on the phone completely forgotten.

"I swear, they're one step away from dementia." Will muttered as he hung up the line. He zipped up his bag and swung it onto his shoulder, taking a quick look at his office to make sure he got everything before he headed out. As he made his way down the hall towards the side exit, his eyes were briefly caught by the new nameplate next to the guidance office.

Emma Pillsbury-Howell

For a brief moment, Will felt a pang of regret. It had only been a couple of years ago that he thought he was madly in love with her and refused to give into those feelings because they'd destroyed his marriage. It had been during his glutton for punishment phase, and he regretted the fact he'd broken Emma's heart in the process. But that whole ordeal had gotten him to something greater (in terms of both benefits and consequences), and with that thought he remembered that he had someplace to be and started back to his car.

The Volvo sat shiny and new across the lot, still an unfamiliar sight for him to see. He wondered what Quinn had thought when she realized he no longer had the old, beat-up hatchback that she barely let him take Gracie in. She'd always been the one to suggest he get a Volvo (glaring at him the one time he'd suggested it had something to do with Twilight, before questioning him how he knew what Edward drove), and he wasn't ashamed to admit that it was her influence that swayed him towards the car (that and he wanted the safest car for his little girl). The only downside of owning a new car was the less than stellar way in which he drove it for the first few days as he got used to the sensitivity of the pedals and wheels. As he drove across town to his parent's, he found a sort of Zen in focusing on the amount of pressure to put on his foot, how subtly he needed to turn the wheel to move the car through the slight bends in the road.

Turning onto his parent's road, he could make out figures running around in the front lawn, one short and one tall. He smiled as he remembered a time when it would have been him his father was chasing, but he found himself more affected by the idea his dad was playing around with his little girl. Pulling into the driveway, he watched as Gracie failed to react to him pulling in like she used to, simply because she wasn't used to the new car yet. However, the moment he stepped out of the car and called out to his dad, her little blonde head swung around to find him, and once she did she started bounding over to him, almost falling over her own feet in order to get to him.

"There's my princess," Will laughed as he bent down to catch Gracie and swing her up into the air, causing her to giggle loudly. The sound of the front door opening and his mother coming out, calling to his dad to help her carry out the babies' things made Will sort of laugh and cringe at the same time. Only his mother would still be calling him her baby at his age. He made quick work of getting everything into the car and settling Grace in, his parents seemingly doing their best to try to prolong them. He wanted to yell at them, tell them to stop being such busybodies and let him go so he could correct one of the biggest mistakes he'd ever made, but clearly that wasn't an option. Almost as if she sensed something was going on and she was being kept from it, the toddler began to start yelling from her car seat, a mix of sounds that Will could recognize as her attempt to say go home.

"OK, OK, I'll get you home baby girl, just calm down and let me say bye," Will told her, her little hand immediately coming up and waving at the mere mention of the word bye. "That's right, we wave when we're saying bye! Good job Gracie!"

"Oh my God, our grandbaby is a genius!" Will rolled his eyes at his mother's declaration, but the smile on his face betrayed the fact he loved hearing compliments about Grace, no matter who the source was.

When he finally managed to get on the road (after once again promising he'd bring Grace over more regularly and also try to get that sweet girl Quinn to visit too), Will could feel the anxiety begin to build in him. Having to deal with a Quinn that looked nothing like the girl he'd fallen in love with was one thing, but he couldn't imagine how difficult it was going to be having her back in that apartment again, interacting with Grace and probably appearing as if that was where she belonged. Would he be able to resist her?

Grace's very existence seemed to suggest the negative.

Instead of hurrying like he had planned, he began to slow the car down slightly, turning what was more of a speedy cruise into a leisurely stroll. He turned the car radio, setting the volume to low so it wasn't too much for the little girl's sensitive ears. Listening to music was a favorite activity in the Schuester home, and anytime she heard it, the toddler tended to at least move along to it subtly, if not just full on "dance" around. Since traffic was a bit heavy on the highway, he didn't feel like he could chance trying to see what she was doing, but he did listen carefully. Soon enough, he started to hear a rhythmic kicking, and the smile he had lost very quickly came back.

Once he turned onto the road that would get them to their apartment, however, the nerves came back.

"Oh Gracie, what the hell has Daddy gotten us into?" he thought aloud, Gracie acting like an echo as she lightly chanted Dada from the backseat. It was a good thing she didn't catch onto the word hell, or else his life would of resembled one if his parents, or worse Quinn, had ever caught her repeating that. For a moment he took the time to picture how Quinn would react, the fire in her eyes as she looked at him and asked him just what he'd been saying to her daughter while they had been gone. Her hands would be on her hips if they weren't busy picking up Grace and holding the girl against her chest as if she was sheltering her from her father's cruel influence. He saw himself stepping up to them, wrapping his arms around them and-

No, he wouldn't think like that. He wouldn't allow himself to go there in his mind because he would be too tempted to go there in person. He wasn't even sure that he really had the strength to resist her as it was, he didn't need his mind playing tricks on him, calling up images of them together when he was trying to keep them apart.

The parking lot of their apartment complex was surprisingly empty for a Saturday, Quinn's Jetta being one of the only cars in front of their building. Will pulled into the space next to her and sighed, turning off his car and staring at the other vehicle. He could remember the day she'd called him from the car lot, asking him what car he thought would be better suited for a baby. It was the first day he'd realized just how invested she was in the baby, even if she probably didn't. That night had been the one where they'd had one of the most honest discussions they'd ever had, laying everything out on the table and getting to the point where they knew they needed to find a way to raise the baby together.

"Out! Out!" The toddler's cries, followed by the thud of something hitting the back of his seat brought him out of the past and back to the present.

"No throwing young lady, no throwing" Will reminded her sternly, the lecture he got on the importance of repetition during his days of Developmental Psych flooding back to him. He turned around with the intention of giving her a stern look, but that impulse died quickly when he took in the furrowed brow and pursed lips of his daughter, her little hands holding a ball that she seemed to be ready to send flying towards his seat. Once she saw he was looking though, she dropped the ball to the floor and held out her arms in an attempt to get him to free her. Grace only enjoyed the car seat when she could feel and see that that car was moving or she had some sort of music to listen to. It was almost as if she knew sitting there was denying her the chance to be exploring or doing something fun, and that idleness was something she couldn't seem to stand.

"Alright, alright, I'm getting out, I'm getting out," Will declared, throwing his hands up in surrender before he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his car door, grabbing the bag he'd packed for Grace. The rest of the stuff in the car could wait till later to come out, possibly after he was done grading and Quinn was still there. The idea of Quinn not actually staying the night in his apartment seemed wrong to him, but then he reminded himself of protecting her and letting her grow so she could achieve all those dreams she had, and the whole thing felt a bit more right (although it still left a bad taste in his mouth). Opening the door to the backseat, he was met was a round of applause. Ever since he'd made the mistake of letting her watch Baby Einstein videos one week, she'd taken to clapping for the things that pleased her, but only on an irregular basis (although she was fairly consistent in clapping once she got a new diaper after a particularly nasty changing). "Has anyone ever told you how crazy you are, baby girl?" He questioned her, smiling as he moved to release her from her seat. His answer was simply a return of his grin and then a jumble of words that sounded like a mix of English and Spanish.

The elevator ride to their floor seemed to take forever. Grace had wanted to walk the moment they'd stepped foot in the lobby, so Will was having to bend down at a slightly uncomfortable angle so he could hold her hand (not trusting her to be anywhere near an elevator panel after an unfortunate incident that summer). He wondered, as he watched the lights change to indicate that they were on their floor, if Quinn was already changed and simply waiting for them to show up, but then he reminded himself that an hour had only barely passed since he'd seen her and getting pink dye out of hair was probably not the easiest thing to do. As the elevator door opened, Gracie started to toddle forward, Will not resisting for fear of accidently messing up her balance and causing a fall if he didn't. She paused once again at Quinn's door, going up to it and staring at it with wide-eyes. She turned back around to find him, putting her little hand on the door as if to show him she wanted in.

"Don't worry baby, you'll see her in a few minutes, I promise," he answered her, deciding to just swing her up and into his arms so the whole process could go faster. Dealing with the 16-month-old having a fit in a hallway was not how he wanted to spend his weekend, and he also didn't want Quinn to think he hadn't been able to properly control Gracie all summer. She started fussing for a moment before he managed to open up their door and put her down, her attention being drawn by some larger toy she could stand and play with. She made her way over into the area that was once the dining room, but that now housed an area where she could play and be left relatively unattended. With her occupied, it gave Will a chance to continue with unpacking boxes, the task providing him with a much needed distraction.

He spent the next 30 minutes watching the clock just as much as he was watching Grace. He knew this wasn't the behavior he needed to have when he was trying to get over Quinn, but it was hard not to be eager to see her back to normal and with her daughter once more. When the knock on the door came, it was tentative, almost like the person on the other side wouldn't know what the reaction would be. Will paused in what he was doing, looking between the pile of DVDs he was holding, Gracie, and the door for a second before leaving the stack on the counter and starting towards the entrance. He left Gracie where she was, knowing that she'd be fine for a second and not wanting her to see Quinn until he made sure all was right with her.

Not that he thought there would be. Quinn would do nothing to jeopardize her relationship with her daughter.

He took a deep breath and sent out a prayer this would all end well before he finally opened the door, his eyes widening when he took in the sight of a fresh-faced Quinn, all blonde and dressed in white. She looked like what he'd imagined he would come home to, and it was only after a very contested internal struggle that he was able to keep from simply wrapping his arms around her and taking her to the bedroom for a Welcome Home celebration. He made a note of the present she held in her hand, but didn't say anything more about it, considering the Grace's name was written in whimsical script on the card.

"Now this is more like it," he told Quinn as he sent her a reassuring smile, before moving out of the way so she could come in. He closed the door behind her and watching as she stopped in her tracks when she saw Grace with her back to them, playing with her My Pal Violet once more. "Gracie, someone is here to see you," will called out teasingly, the little girl ignoring him as she stood up to put the robotic stuffed dog in her little toy shopping cart.

"Gracie-Grace, wh-" Quinn didn't need to say anything more as Gracie immediately stopped in her tracks and turned around, the toy cart rolling off sadly as it was forgotten. The girl's face lit up excitedly as she saw her mom for the first time in months and she started running towards Quinn, shrieking Mama and reaching out her hands so she could grab the older blonde as soon as she was in reach. Quinn let out a sob as she sunk to the ground, the gift almost flung away as she opened up her arms for Grace to come into. The toddler flung herself forward the second her hands connected with Quinn's chest, her mother's arms encircling her and pulling her close. Quinn buried her face in Grace's curls, sniffing in the smell of baby powder and lavender that was her daughter and feeling tears filling her eyes. Grace nestled into Quinn as she continued to babble a mix of words that were all definitely excited but not all understandable. Will stood back against the wall, watching the scene and didn't even try to hide the few tears that were falling. This image would never escape him. The sight of the reunion between mother and child was both heartbreaking and heartwarming, and he really wasn't sure what to do besides promise to never, ever, cause something like this to happen again.

He leant against the wall for a little while, watching the scene play out. Quinn and Gracie refused to separate from each other, simply shifting around so that they were comfortably on the floor, Grace sitting in Quinn's lap. Will watched as the forgotten gift was picked up and present to the girl, her face lighting up as she looked first at her mom and then over at him.

"Is that for you, Baby Grace?" Will asked her, laying the questioning tone on thick. She giggled before waving her arms at him then hitting the gift, calling out Dada as she did so. Will shared a look with Quinn to make sure it was ok to intrude on the moment, getting a soft smile and a slight gesture for him to join as an answer. He sat down in front of them, watching Quinn help Grace open a card that was all glitter and pretty little birds. He saw the small message inscribed within it, but didn't read it, not wanting to encroach. As much as she might like the pretty note, Grace was well aware of what presents were, and very quickly she lost interest and started to claw at the wrapping paper eagerly. Her parents laughed before they each moved to help her open it, their hands touching before they each stumbled and pulled back. Their eyes locked as they stared at each other for a moment, Will flustered and Quinn desperate. He was the first to look away, looking over at the coffee table as he heard her sigh and return to ripping paper with Grace. He closed his eyes and thought again about how he was doing the right thing, but now it was becoming harder and harder to believe when faced with Quinn.

The high-pitched squeal from his daughter reminded him once again to impart on her the difference in indoor and outdoor voices. With his hands on his ears, he turned back to look at what was being pulled out of the box by Grace and Quinn, immediately seeing the mass of pink and gold fabric Quinn was holding up as Gracie crawled up under it to put it on. He recognized the dress as one for the movie Sleeping Beauty, and he mentally applauded himself for all those years of watching Disney flicks. Still in the box, but definitely not forgotten, was the standard blue and white uniform that made up all Alice in Wonderland costumes, and he could already picture Grace tumbling around it like she really was falling down the rabbit-hole.

"Pwetty Mama, pwetty." Will watched as Grace trudged out of Quinn lap and stood just a few steps away from them, beginning to twirl around and giggle as she waved the wand the costume came with.

"Awww, Princess Gracie, you look adorable." Her mom beamed, looking over at Will briefly as he tried to only focus on the dancing baby, clapping and laughing as she waddled around. If he looked over at Quinn right then, he imagined he'd be doomed. He swore he heard a pained sigh escape from Quinn's direction, but by the time he could bring himself to look her way she was already up and circling around Grace, talking about playing Princesses and going to the park and making a castle. He felt dismissed from the situation, although he knew he really wasn't, and chose to grab his school bag and spread the contents out on the coffee table, allowing him a good view of where the girls were and them the ability to look his way and interact with him without either of them stopping what they were doing completely.

Two hours passed like that, Will grading and listening to the laughter that was pouring out from the two of them, while Gracie and Quinn played a game of Queens and Princesses after spending quite a few minutes searching all the boxes to find every single last doll and stuffed animal to be in their kingdom. It was getting to be mid-afternoon and time for Gracie's snack and nap, but when Will started to head in to take over and settle things down, he found that Quinn already had the child planted in her lap and safely eating some fruit and crackers, a cup of juice sitting next to them. The parents shared a look, one were Quinn was almost challenging him to find fault it what she was doing. The eyebrow arched and Will couldn't help but crumble, heading back into the living room and sitting down, forlornly placing his head in his hands as he tried to figure out how the hell he could maintain this separation.

It was wrong that they fitted together so well.

It was wrong that they had conceived and started to raise a child together.

It was wrong that he wanted her as much as he did.

But just because it was wrong didn't make it untrue, or make it any easier to correct.

Will stared down at one of the Spanish Literature papers, prepared to dive into it in hopes of finding solace from his thoughts. However, he quickly noticed it was a critique of some sort of Argentinean love poems and without much thought he tossed it across the room, satisfied at the sound it made swooshing across the floor.

"Someone worked hard on that, you know." It was the first real thing Quinn had said to him all day. For some reason the fact she was chastising him instead of begging him to take her back left him wanting to burst out laughing. Instead, he simply chose to answer her with only the tiniest hint of a smile.

"I'll just tell him the dog peed on it."

"Everyone knows you don't have a dog... just a baby."

"Well I'll say the baby peed on it then!" The comical gasp that left Quinn's mouth was so close to the old times that he almost forgot his place and went to her, preparing to pull her up and bring their lips together for the first time in ages. Instead he simply chuckled distractedly and dismissively as he returned to grading, not seeing the way Quinn leaned back to catch a glimpse of him.

When Quinn put Gracie down for a nap the little girl insisted they camp out on the floor together instead of separating, clearly not wanting to let her mama go. Will listened from the living room as Quinn shuffled around between the baby's room and the laundry closet, preparing the most comfortable palette to sleep on as possible. He could just imagine what Grace's bedroom floor looked like, and when the coast had been cleared for awhile he snuck into the doorway, seeing the two blondes tucked together on top of a mound of comforters, Quinn's body protectively wrapped around Gracie's so nothing would smother her. He watched as Quinn, still awake, simply laid there and stared at Grace, seemingly trying to engrain the image of her child in her mind forever.

Her eyes slowly shifted until they were burning holes into his. Her face was an unreadable mask, but Will was more than good at being able to read her, and he could tell she was trying to make a point about all of this. She wanted to say that this was how it should always should be, that her and Grace and him were a family.

That was true, yes, but as much as he may have wanted it, the family Quinn was looking for couldn't be. Not now, and probably not ever. If pushing her away now so she could shine would cause them to lose their moment, he'd live with it, unable to be the one to keep her from leaving this town and truly shining.

Once again he was the one that broke the stare, turning away from the room and returning to the couch, sitting down and firmly plopping his head into his hands. The mess that was his life was not one to easily clean up... it was like bamboo. All you did was plant it once and it spread like wildfire all over the place, seemingly unstoppable and uncontrollable. There was a vague metaphor for conceiving and having a child in there, but he ignored it to focus on other things.

The ticking of the clock suddenly bothered him greatly. It was like it was taunting him in some weird way that he couldn't articulate but just knew. He found himself staring at it for awhile, ironically losing track of time completely. When heard the scampering around from the nursery he shook himself out of his daze and quickly started back to work, listening to Quinn telling Gracie they were going out to the park and make a castle on the playground. The toddler could be heard clapping and jumping around, clearly excited, and Will couldn't the smile that crossed his face as well. His daughter's enthusiasm and good attitude were the traits he thanked the Lord for every day, knowing how bad he could have gotten it. The way she jumped at this was adorable and promising for her future, making Will think he just might not be so bad of a dad considering the kid he was working with.

A mass of blue and white suddenly collided with his leg and looking down he was immediately met with the upturned face of Grace smiling at him wildly.

"Dada park!" She insisted as she hugged him, Quinn coming up behind her,

"I can't come with you Princess, I gotta stay here." The girl looked at him blankly, clearly not fully sure what he said. He began to shake his head no and she immediately got the message, her face turning from a smile to a frown. "Don't be mad Gracie, that just means you and Mama get to go and play Gracie in Wonderland for the rest of the day!" His words brought a measure of happiness to her, but there was still a slight frown there. Grace turned to look at him over her shoulder as Quinn held her hand and started leading her towards the front door, her eyes seemingly pleading with him to come with. They could get away with being out with her in public, they always had, but for some reason he felt too much of a fear within him to try to do that now. He could only smile half-heartedly back and blow a kiss her way, missing the look Quinn was sending him.

Her stroller was new, an NYC purchase that Quinn had actually wanted for quite awhile but he hadn't been in the position to get. He expected a bit of a fuss as she tried to get used to it, but all Will heard was the regular sounds of preparing to take a toddler out to the park. Again, the idea that Quinn was so suited to this struck him, and again he field it away into the deep recesses of his mind.

"We'll be back later. I'll probably take her for something to eat and bring you something back."

"You don't have to do that, Quinn." He wanted to say she shouldn't do that, but that would not only be too rude, but also too instigating. It was the type of phrase that might set the tempestuous line they were walking at the moment on fire, and he wasn't prepared for that, not by a long shot.

"It's fine. I'm sure all the stuff I put in the kitchen when I thought you were coming back has probably spoiled, so you're gonna need me to bring something back. Pasta Primavera from Angelo's good? They've all been dying to see Gracie so I thought- Grace don't put that in your mouth- I thought I'd take her there." There was the guilt again, this time brought on thick by the fact all the spoiled food he'd noticed and thrown out had not been from his parents, but once again from Quinn. Why had she done so much for him when he'd done so little for her? Why did she still want to care for him when he'd made it seem like they were over. Had she just been ignoring what he said, or had she been hoping that if she acted sweet and caring, he'd forget all that was said before? Regardless, this wasn't something he needed to be thinking out right now.

"Yeah, sure, sounds good. Tell them I said Hi." Quinn called out that she would and soon a chorus of byes were let out as the twosome left the apartment, leaving Will alone with his thoughts. The beers in the fridge called to him, his body demanding something to release some of the tension he was feeling. Unable to fight it, he walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle, gulping at it as soon as it was open. It tasted bitter and wrong in his mouth though and he promptly poured the rest of it out. He dropped the bottle into the recycling with a thud, staring at it for a second as if it had betrayed him.

The bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label, the same brand he'd had that night in Dayton, was suddenly calling to him, and he couldn't resist taking down a glass and filling it with some. He sniffed it before he took a sip, sighing as the liquid hit the back of his throat with a burn. It felt like punishment of sorts, and not the relief it normally did. He leant against the counter and drank the entire thing, wanting to refill it afterwards but the voices of his better angels kept him from doing it. Alcohol got him here, it wouldn't take him anywhere else.

The hours between when the girls left and when they returned seemed long, filled with the tenuous task of grading. He'd never realized how used to hearing them in the background he'd become in the time since Gracie had been born, and it again showed Will just how dependant on Quinn he'd become. As unfair as part of him thought that to be, there was another part that enjoyed it, loved it even. He'd never felt that sort of need with Terri, that draw to be in her presence and pain when he couldn't. It satisfied his need for love and his need to be wanted, as it was just as clear to him that Quinn felt the same way.

But even with that revelation, he still felt he should remain set in keeping them from being the couple they once were.

It was around 8:30 when he heard the key in the lock and the front door open. He was lounging on the couch at that point, an episode of Law and Order playing but his mind not really processing it. Will was still caught up in his internal debate, only coming out if it when Quinn came into view, a soft smile on her face as she carried a sleeping Grace against her shoulder. It was the type of look that always made Will want to call her the most beautiful girl in the world, and for a second the words almost came spilling out, but he stopped himself, although his face easily betrayed him.

"She's out like a light" Quinn whispered, kissing the blonde curls on her daughter's head and staring at her in wonderment. "She made it all the way through dinner before crashing in the car... everyone loved seeing her."

"How could they not? She's amazing" Two sets of green eyes met and neither could ignore that something was there, even if one pair really wanted to. Neither wanted to look away, but eventually Quinn did, saying something about needing to put Gracie into her crib. Will watched her go with a forlorn expression, the idea he'd need to deny her what he was sure she was looking for hitting him like a truck.

The flash of silver sitting on the dining room table caught his attention, and in order to avoid the oncoming storm that would be the conversation he and Quinn were going to have, he began to prepare his food. He had just sat down at the breakfast nook to eat when Quinn came in, going straight for the cabinet and getting herself a glass for water. Will watched her moving around like she owned the place, the food settling in his stomach with all the comfort of a rock. As she started to sip from her drink, she turned back around and gazed at him, her expression tight.

"Are we going to talk about this?"

"What's there to talk about?" Will asked around a bite of food, Quinn dropping her glass on the counter and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, I don't know... maybe the fact one day you're making love to me and the next you're moving as far away from me as you can and taking our daughter with you. Or how about how you kept me completely in the dark for months about how either of you were. Oh, and here's a good one, why exactly you can't even look me in the eye anymore." His eyes were wide as he stared at her, gulping his food down as he tried to find the words to say.

"Quinn- I don't know what to say..."

"Tell me you love me. Tell me that you're sorry and that we can be what we used to be... you, me, and Gracie, one happy little family." She's begging him at this point, pleading even. He wants to do as she says, so much, but there is something stopping him, that little voice inside his head that just won't let him be. This whole situation is his fault, not just because of his time away and his misguided ideas about what Quinn needed in her life, but because he made a stupid choice and took advantage of a teenager.

"GOD DAMN IT WILL, STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT." Her frustrated yell threw him off his train of thought and he stared at her blankly, not sure how she would have known what he was thinking. "Dayton is OVER. It's DONE. You can't change what happened and you can't keep punishing me for causing it!"

"Punishing you?" Will felt tears start pooling in his eyes as he took in the now vulnerable girl in front of him, her eyes equally as wet and infinitely more defeated. She seemed to be unable to keep herself standing tall at this point and she turned around, both hands braced against the counter and her eyes looking at the cabinet doors.

"Isn't that why you left and took Gracie with you? I know you wanted your chance to be a star, and I never would have stopped you, but... you didn't have to take her with you. It would have been easier for you to leave her here or take me with you... but you didn't... and I figured you did it because you wanted me to hur-"

"No, no, no, listen to me Quinn, that wasn't it at all." Will jumped up from behind the table and bounded over to her. He grabbed her by the shoulders so he could turn her so they are looking square in the eye. It was the first time in months they'd touched, let alone been that close to one another, and immediately the feelings he'd been trying to fight start coming alive as he got his hands on her warm skin. "I NEVER want to hurt you. Do you understand that? It's the last thing I want to do and every day I beat myself up because I feel like what I did that night hurt you in so many ways..." He started to have trouble speaking over the lump in his throat, and he took a minute to compose himself, swallowing hard and trying to push out the last bit. "I love you Quinn, I love you so much and I love our daughter and everything we have between us... but I hate myself for it every day because I shouldn't- because I shouldn't have let any of this happen and I shouldn't be happy that it did... I didn't take Gracie to hurt you, I took Gracie because I wanted to save you and let you have the opportunities I took away from you that you wanted before."

When he finally started to cry, he made no move to try to stall the tears or wipe them away, and Quinn didn't either.

"I don't want those opportunities anymore, Will." Quinn moved her hand up onto his check, her attempt at getting his attention and keeping it. She started to brush away his tears with her thumb, but found the effort to be futile and instead focused on trying to prove to him just how true what she is about to say is. "I just want Gracie... and I just want you... God, I wanted you so much that night and I want you even more now. .. you didn't do anything to me that I didn't want, and I don't regret anything that happened then or now." She slowly raised her face up, stalling just before she was about to press her lips to his. They shared a look filled with so many different things, and both were looking for something to tell them what to do.

For Quinn, it was a flicker, a moment of Will's resolve slipping.

For Will, it was that steely determination that only came out when Quinn was certain and her mind was set beyond any shadow of a doubt.

All at once, they both see what they want.

This kiss wasn't like anything else they've ever shared before. It was all about coming home and cementing that this was where they wanted to be. Months of pent up longing poured out of them, as well as residual anger on her end and a need to atone for everything that happened on his. She slowly brought her hands up and under his shirt, sighing contently at feeling him once more. It didn't take long for Will to throw all his doubts aside and swing her up into his arms, carrying her into the bedroom that he realized that he just wasn't able to not share with her. In some ways he felt like a failure, and maybe he was, but he was happy, and so was she.

That should be what really matters, right?

Hours later, after they'd fully reacquainted themselves, Quinn found herself lying sated in the bed, her head resting against Will's chest and his heartbeat thumping reassuringly under her ears. Will idly played with the ends of her hair, every once and awhile pressing a kiss into her hair. She thought about all the plans she'd made that summer, all the fantasies she had for them and she wondered if this would be a good time to broach them. She'd always pictured this conversation happening after a night together, their connection at its peak, and considering all the issues that had kept them apart over the summer, Quinn thought this would be something that he'd do well to hear.

"We aren't damned to stay here, you realize that, right?" Will let out a questioning noise in response, urging her to continue. "McKinley isn't the only school that will have you and you deserve to be at a school that loves and supports the arts." She popped up off his chest and turned to lean over him, looking down at him with a spark in her eyes. "There are all these amazing performing arts high schools around the country and so many of them have great colleges near them... you could teach at one and I could get my degree there..." She ran her fingers through his hair as she smiled down at him. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Yeah, it would," he answered softly, more awed by the way the idea is bringing Quinn so much joy. "But how many of those would actually be hirin-"

"I have a list of schools with openings and colleges around them I'd want to go to." His eyebrows raised in surprise, thrown off by the Rachel-esque planning move she'd admitted to. He laughed though, and reached up and pulled her down for a kiss. He flipped them over so now he was the one looming over her, breaking away to pepper kisses along the side of her neck before he looked in her eyes. He could tell she thought that they are finally going the right direction, moving towards a good future for the three of them that will end with all of them happy. What surprised him is that as much as there might be doubts in his mind, Will could actually see the potential in her idea, and he sort of loved it.

"I think I should take a look at that list."

"Why don't we look at it together?" Will tilted his head to the side, smiling down at the equally smiling Quinn. They realized the significance of what they were considering. Two people looking at a list might not seem like a lot, but when that list wraps up your future fairly neatly, it becomes something more. He pondered her question for a second before moving back down for a kiss, whispering the word sure right before they touched.