It's September! *throws confetti around* Only a few weeks time left before glee day so YAY! LOL, that rhymes. Though I've got to admit I'm not exactly excited about seeing Charice among the cast. There's no doubt that she's an amazing singer but it's her acting that bothers me. I'm in no position to judge her yet though, as she may prove me wrong when the premier comes. But other than that, I'm all set for season two. :D

In honor of Jane Lynch's Emmy win, I decided to include here one of the Sue therapy sessions that I originally planned for a later chapter. Writing the cheerio coach made my brain hurt like hell, so I hope I did her justice.

Last but not the least, merci to my jaymamazing beta, 4cherryblossoms!

Despite his hangover, Will still opted to go to work that day, though he got there an hour and a half late of his usual arrival time of 8:30 sharp. He'd popped a few tablets of aspirin before leaving his apartment but his feeling of lightheadedness continued to linger.
Surprisingly, his condition didn't seem to affect his teaching. He was able to lead the discussion fairly well, at least in his perspective. Before he knew it, the day was almost over. As he walked out into the halls, all that was left unchecked on his to-do-list for the day was glee practice, which was to begin in exactly fifteen minutes. Before proceeding to the choir room though, he had some business to take care of along the way.

Emma did not need to take her eyes off the piece of paper she had been writing on to know who it was that stood at her office's doorstep. There was only one person who knocks thrice on the glass window before entering.

"If you came here to offer back the fine I paid, then I'm sorry to tell you that I won't accept it," she told him, not looking up. "Or any other form of payment aside from cash for that matter," she added before he could even respond.

"I know," he simply said, his voice dropping to a near whisper. Not waiting for an invitation, he took a seat on one of the chairs opposite her.

"What brings you here, then?" she asked, grabbing the stack of papers in front of her and straightening up the edges. It was truly a challenge to pretend that she didn't care about him.

"I just wanted to say thanks for the night," he said, undaunted by her coldness. When he saw her look up at him in surprise, he wondered what was it in his statement that made her react that way. It didn't take much thought to figure it out. "I mean last night! Thanks for everything that you've done for me last night."

For a moment, a small smile surfaced on Emma's features. It wasn't everyday that the guy gave in to a Freudian slip, after all. Will noticed this and instantly felt happy. He hadn't realized how much he missed seeing her smile until then.

"No problem Will. I would've done the same thing for anyone," she assured him, fastening back her somber expression.

"Anyone?" he snapped, causing her to look away again. He wanted to retract this single word that shattered what little progress he had on convincing her that she was the only thing missing in his life, if there was even any. But it was too late to do so. All he could do was to wait anxiously for her response.

Emma didn't know what to say. He was right. She wouldn't have done what she did for him to just anybody. "So, uh, one of the school board members dropped by here earlier before you came," she broke the tension, opting not to answer his question.

"Bryan Ryan?" he blurted out, forgetting that his mere mention of the man's name was a dead giveaway of the fact that he had been watching the two when he passed by earlier.

"You know him?" she answered him back with another question.

"Yeah. We went to high school here together. He's two years older though," he explained, keeping his tone neutral as to not arouse suspicion. Emma nodded as she took in this new information about him. "You two aren't, you know…" he then trailed off, unable to resist the urge to ask but unsure of how exactly he was going to do so. The guy was sitting casually on her desk with a grin drawn on his lips a few hours ago. He thought that it was natural to assume that something must be going on between the two. He didn't need to finish his sentence for her to know where he was going at.

"He's married," came the blunt response.

"Oh. I, I didn't know. I'm really sorry for asking, Emma," he quickly apologized while adding another point to his stupid move score sheet.

Having clearly made an honest mistake, she took his apology as quickly as he gave it. "He, uhm, told me that he was planning on cutting the art programs, glee in particular," she then informed him as gently as she could. Apparently, she wasn't gentle enough as Will abruptly stood up, startling her.

"What? How could he do that? He was part of the club since his freshman year!" he cried out in disbelief, throwing his arms up in the air.

"He didn't tell me why," she mumbled, trying to regain her calm.

Will paced across the room, his brows furrowed, his arms crossed on his chest and his head shaking slowly every few seconds. "It must have been Sue. It always is," he concluded knowingly. "I wonder what she's up to this time."

"It's not wise to jump into conclusions Will," she warned.

"Come on, Emma. This has Sue written all over it!" he pressed in the same livid tone. "Think about it. Who else would want the club disbanded right before regionals?"

She didn't expect him to take the news with open arms but she didn't expect him to take it that hard either. It was her first time to see him in such an intense state and her shock, particularly evident in her widened eyes, showed. "I don't think it was her this time around," she differed in a manner completely opposite of his. He stopped pacing and looked at her, his gaze softening. She took this as a sign to continue. "I told him not to do it."

"And what did he say?" he asked weakly, unsure if he wanted to know or not.

"He said he'll see," she told him, recalling her earlier conversation with the person in question. "Look Will. I'm against this as much as you are but since either of us have any power over him, all we can do is just hope for the best," she then clarified, keeping an optimistic yet practical view on the matter.

Will chuckled bitterly. "You're right. I'm thinking into this way too much," he remarked.

"You're only concerned about the kids, Will. I see nothing wrong with that," Emma justified his burst of anger. He only stared at her, his gaze communicating all his sentiments. She swore that if he didn't look away soon, her heart would leap off her chest.

"Well I better go. You seem really busy with all your papers and stuff," he finally excused himself, gesturing towards the stacks of papers that filled half of her desk.

"Yeah. It's, uh, college application time again. Lots of recommendation forms to fill out," she explained, watching him leave before turning her attention back to her work.

As Will repeated what he recalled of their exchange in his mind, he almost forgot about the glee practice scheduled for that day. He quickened his pace after a brief glance at his wrist watch told him that he had barely five minutes left to get to the choir room in time. He was halfway there when a familiar figure walking among the students came into view.

"Doctor Howell?" he asked the man, who was going in the opposite direction.

"Will! Hi. So glad I finally came across you here," Howell greeted, flashing his perfect set of pearly whites, which Will promptly returned with an equally bright smile of his own.

"What brought you to this side of town? Was there an oral health talk or something?"

"Didn't Emma mention it to you? I work part time here now," Howell told him.

"Oh, really? That's…that's great!" Will reached out and shook his hand to congratulate him. "Since when?"

"Yesterday," he replied.

"Well, me and Emma, we don't really, uh, see each other much these days. We're both busy with school and the kids and stuff you know?" Will lied. Not that it was a total lie. Since the break room fiasco, their interaction had been rather limited. And busy they truly were, what with the regionals and SAT coming in a few weeks.

"I completely understand Will. These kids can be quite a handful. There had been at least three of them who came into my office today with a tooth or two knocked out. They wouldn't tell me what happened, though one mentioned something about this Amazio person," Howell agreed, recounting his experience that day to back it up.

"It's Azimio," Will corrected him. "He's one of the football players."

Howell laughed. "Well that explains it. Football players beating up kids for their lunch money? Looks like high school is still the same as always," he remarked in amusement.

"Yeah, except that they have Lord Google and Sir Wikipedia at their disposal," Will countered, earning from the dentist another round of laughter.

"True, true. Back in the days, homework that required research was bound to get any teacher up a student's hate list," he recalled, nostalgia settling in.

This statement began a sharing of a few stories about the good old days between the two. It was abruptly put to a close, however, when Will took another look at his watch.

"Well, I better go. I still have glee rehearsals to attend to," he excused himself. "Hope we bump into each other again soon."

"Glee as in show choir?" Howell asked as Will was about turn on his heel, not sure if he heard him right.

"Correct. I'm the glee club moderator," Will proudly informed him.

Howell's face lit up. "You're the man behind New Directions?"

"You actually know about show choir and the McKinley glee club?" Will asked in an odd mix of disbelief and delight.

"And why shouldn't I? I may not look like it but I live for show choir." Howell paused, noting Will's amazed expression. "In fact, I remember that brunette back in Sectionals. Her rendition of Don't Rain on my Parade was simply amazing, maybe even better than Streisand herself. The group performance was nice too, even if it did seem a little unrehearsed."

"That's because it was," Will confirmed. He knew that Howell was curious about what happened but time didn't allow him to tell the story of the mattress and the leaked set list. "Long story. I wasn't able to see it for myself, unfortunately. But the kids did a surprise performance for me when they came back to make up for my absence so it's all good."

"That's good to hear. Who took your place then?" Howell asked, curious.

"Lucky for me, Emma volunteered to take the kids there at the last minute," Will replied, reminding him of how much she was willing to give up just for him.

"That's really nice of her. You're very lucky to have a friend like her around," Howell remarked, to which Will only nodded in response.

Another look at his watch revealed that he was already late for practice. Will was about to bid goodbye when Howell spoke up. "Sorry if this seems like an odd request but can I come with you? My shift just ended anyway. If you don't mind, of course. I wouldn't want to get in the way or anything."

"No, no. It's ok. I'm sure the kids wouldn't mind a fan dropping by," he assured him.

Howell expressed his gratitude as they walked towards the choir room, which was at the end of the hall.

"Wow, doc. I never would've guessed that you had a musical dimension to you," Will couldn't help but comment.

Howell chuckled. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Will. A lot of things," he said as they entered the room where the glee kids await.

Back in Emma's office, the guidance counselor decided to absorb herself into her work to keep her earlier conversation with Will from crossing her mind. She was doing well until a figure garbed in trademark red and white came inside.

"Hi, uh, Sue," Emma greeted, the fear in her voice making the cheerleading coach swell with pride.

"Grab your bag and whatever monster-sized cleaning product your flimsy arms can carry Irma. You and I are going out for dinner tonight," she informed her, ignoring her greeting.

Emma pointed at her watch. "But it's only 4:00."

"Four, six. Tomato, to-mah-to," came the droll response.

Emma raised a brow, confused at the connection between the two. "But I'm still-"

"Chop-chop Eidelweiss. Your mental illness isn't going to wait," she cut Emma off with another witty remark before throwing in her direction a plastic bottle that she seemed to have pulled out of nowhere. To her surprise, she caught it right in the middle. "Who knew being plagued with mental illness actually had some benefits?"

Emma stared at the bottle she was now holding, squinting as she read the label. She then turned it around, the contents making a clanking sound as they hit the sides of the container. "What's this?" she asked, holding the object up.

"In case you forgot how to read, it says Prozac. It's an anti-anxiety drug. That way you won't have to be on the verge of cardiac arrest every time a drop of rain falls on you," Sue answered her derisively.

Knowing Sue, there was just no way she could say no without experiencing some sort of anger-driven act of vengeance from the said person. She decided that it was best to comply. "I don't think you're allowed to prescribe drugs," Emma told her as she straightened her papers for the nth time.

"What a libelous accusation Elmo. I have a degree in clinical psychology!" Sue defended.

"Yes, but an online degree," Emma reminded her.

"I got the highest GPA in getyourdegree. c o m!" Sue retorted, far from willing to give up her cause.

"There were only five test takers at that time," Emma argued, not letting her guard down either.

Sue paused for a moment, her gaze narrowing as she eyed her. "That's still one more degree than what you have under your ridiculous, north-bordering belt," she reasoned, pointing at the turquoise-hued band around her waist. Her expression then turned into an incredulous one as she noticed Emma's immediate response to her statement. "Did you just roll your eyes at me? Oh yes you did. These retinas don't lie." She grinned. "I never thought that one day I'd see one Sue Sylvester in someone like you. Outstanding Eloise." She walked over to her and, much to her disapproval, patted her shoulder a few times.

Emma faked a smile but the second Sue turned away and told her to meet her in the parking lot in five minutes, a frown quickly took its place. She sighed. It was going to be another long night.

This may not have been the scene involving Bryan Ryan you guys expected, so I'm sorry if that's the case. I wanted to include him directly but I can't seem to write him convincingly, so I scrapped it. Hope the Sue scene made up for it though.

How will the glee kids react to their lab-coat clad fan? What exactly is Sue's plan for the week's therapy session? Chapter 6 holds the answers.

Review pretty please? 8D