Two Hearts Beat As One: Chapter 8
Thanksgiving Day morning found Will and Emma snuggled together on the love seat in the twins' nursery, sharing an early breakfast. It was 7 am, and the air drifting inside from the partially opened windows smelled unusually sweet. There was a lot to be thankful for that day.
"I'm surprised that Mom and Dad want a Thanksgiving lunch this year instead of a Thanksgiving dinner. We always had Thanksgiving dinners since I can remember," Will said, popping a green grape into Emma's mouth.
She smiled at him and said after she swallowed, "Maybe they have plans for tonight. At least we still get to see them." She said the last sentence with a wistful tone.
"Hey, I'm sorry we can't visit your parents this year," he comforted her. "But you know we have to be careful about our babies. We're past the 30th week now, and that means no more traveling." He gave her temple a kiss.
"I know, Will," she said, still sad.
"I'll tell you what, let's discuss baby names! That always cheers you up," he said. "Any suggestions?"
"How about James for our boy? That's your middle name," she said, her mood seemingly lighter.
"We could go with that. What does that name mean anyhow? I have no idea," he said, reaching over to get the baby book of names on the ottoman. "Supplanter? I don't like the sound of that, it sounds so scheming."
"I don't see why you're so affected by it, it's your name after all," Emma laughed. "That's probably why you replaced all the men in my life, and I couldn't have asked for a better replacement."
"Aww, that's the sweetest thing anyone has said to me." She managed to melt his heart again.
She kissed the tip of his nose. "If you don't like James, let's name the baby William. Would you like a junior?"
"William means 'determined protector,'" he quoted the book. "I like it! But if we named our son William, we'll both be confused when you call one of us. Maybe you'll need my whistle for that," he laughed at his own joke.
"Oh, Will! I still won't let any of us use the whistle to call our children. At the rate we're going, the babies still won't have names when they're born. Look, how about making William the middle name?"
"That's fine by me! And our girl should have Emma as her middle name."
"I like that, too. Yay! Now we just have to agree on the first names," she said happily.
"Emma comes from Emmanuel, which means 'God with us.' It also means 'universal,'" he said, quoting the book again. "How about we name our girl Wilhelmina? She could be like my junior, and we could call her Mina."
"No, no, no, Will!" she protested, shaking her head, her eyes widening. "That name reminds me of Mina, from Dracula!" she shuddered. "Besides, our son is already named after you."
"Okay, calm down," he laughed, "we won't name her that. What about Wemma? It means 'Will and Emma.'"
"Haha! Good one, Will! It sounds so silly. Wemma!" She laughed heartily.
"I'm glad you like it!"
xxxxx
The day turned out to be sunny and unusually warmer than the average November day. Little did they know that the freaky weather cooperated with what lay ahead for them.
They arrived at Will's parents' house at 11 am, bringing two pans of Emma's famous pumpkin pies. Will looked at Emma in her new pink dress and told her with a smile, "You're so beautiful, Cinderella." It had been a while since he used that pet name on her.
After all those years being together, he still managed to make her blush. She smiled back at him shyly, saying, "You're very sweet, Will, but I know I probably look more like Cinderalla's carriage right now. You, however, are as handsome as always."
"You'll always be my Cinderella, and you truly look beautiful," he replied sincerely.
They shared a sweet kiss when they reached the front porch, after which, Will rang the doorbell. The door didn't open right away and he thought he heard some scuffling inside. He shared a puzzled look with Emma before ringing the doorbell again.
This time, the door flew open widely, which caused Will and Emma to jerk in surprise. What was more surprising was who opened the door. Both of them blinked when they saw none other than Noah Puckerman on the other side of the doorway.
Squeals of 'Surprise!' came from the living room, then a blinding flash, followed by shuffling feet and arms on their backs, half a dozen people ushering them inside the house at once.
"Way to go, Noah! I thought you just made Mrs. Schuester go into early labor," said Rachel, rolling her eyes dramatically.
"I'm sorry for opening the door with too much enthusiasm. I hope that wasn't too badass. You're all right, aren't you, Mrs. Schue?" Puck said sheepishly.
Emma could only nod in bewilderment, while Will said, "You guys, what are you all doing here?"
Packed inside the living room were the old members of New Directions, smiling happily at them.
"We're here for your baby shower, of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world," Quinn spoke up.
"Oh my God! They're here!" They heard Will's Mom shout as she emerged from the kitchen. "Were they surprised, kids?"
"You can say that again!" said Emma, finally finding her voice. "Mom! Dad!"
"Emma! We've missed you so much!"
Following Doodle Schuester were her very own parents and Will's Dad. She ran to them and they enveloped her with hugs and gave her kisses.
"Don't worry Mrs. Schuester, I got it all on video," said Artie from his wheelchair.
"And Finn caught the moment with his camera," said Mercedes happily.
"Hey, we're here, too!" yelled Emma's elder brother Fred, coming inside from the French windows which led to the Schuesters' backyard. Following him were his wife Angelina and their two children, George and Lee. "Perfect timing, sis. You managed to screw our plans by arriving early," he teased.
By now, Emma's eyes were red-rimmed and tears were flowing continuously from them. Will could only stand by his wife, overwhelmed by so many emotions. He was a bit teary-eyed himself as he helped her to sit on the couch and rubbed her arms soothingly, but he was so happy. He was a little anxious, too, because Emma was crying nonstop, and he was afraid that the strong emotions she felt at the moment would affect their babies adversely.
"Here's a glass of water, Mrs. Schue," said Brittany, "You're a lot bigger than I remember."
"Brittany!" half the room protested.
"What? She looks super cute, just like Lord Tubbington," she said matter-factly, shrugging her shoulders.
They all groaned at her comment, but Emma only smiled at her warmly and said, "Thanks, Brittany. I've missed you kids so much, I can't imagine how Will feels right now! And my family is here as well, even you, Frederick," she shot a look at her brother.
Everybody smiled at Will and Emma.
"Can we hug you now?" piped Tina, who was crying herself. "We've missed you so much, too!"
"Of course!" both of them said.
"I feel like I should do a roll call right now," Will added. "Rachel, Kurt, Finn, Mercedes, Brittany, Quinn," he said in between the hugs he and Emma received from the Glee kids one by one. "Puck, Santana, Tina, Mike, Matt, Lauren, Artie, Sam, and Blaine!"
He turned to his parents bemusedly, saying, "How did you manage to get everyone here?"
"Well, son, around two months ago, I had a tune up at Burt Hummel's and mentioned the good news to him about your twins. He told me he already knew from Kurt and Finn, and jokingly added that Kurt would love to plan the baby shower. Your Mom and I thought that was a splendid idea and got in touch with Kurt. He agreed right away, and so, two months later, here we all are!"
"Wait, Dad, two months ago? But, Mom," Emma said, turning to Doodle, "You kept hinting at planning the baby shower with me."
"Sorry about that, dear, but it had to be done," she confessed. "Kurt organized the whole thing."
"With some help from Rachel, Mercedes, and Blaine," Kurt said happily. The four of them had become such good friends since they all went to NYU. "All planned in New York, so it may have a certain Broadway theme."
"Come on, Mr. and Mrs. Schue, you have to see the backyard now, that's where we will celebrate the baby shower," said Blaine.
Everyone rushed outside gratefully, thankful that the backyard was a lot more spacious than the living room. It wasn't a comfortable fit to have them all in the same average-sized room inside the house, with 25 people in all present, and one of them heavily pregnant.
When they went outside, what attracted Will and Emma's attention was a familiar-looking skyline at night serving as the backdrop for the party. The buildings looked cartoony with their black looming shapes, yellow highlights in the form of pane windows peeking out supposedly into the night.
"It's the London skyline," said Will softly.
"What gave it away for you, Mr. Schue?" Mercedes asked.
"That outline of Big Ben did," said Emma, guessing it right herself. The tower had the clock highlighted in yellow as well.
"Can you guess the theme of your baby shower?" inquired Kurt.
Both Will and Emma glanced around the backyard. Their were six tables in all, one laden with the gifts everyone prepared for the babies in front of the backdrop, and the others arranged in a perfect way that mimicked afternoon tea being served. Victorian parasols and black umbrellas with green parrot head handles were strewn around the place, and, oddly enough, four penguin waiters and some robins joined in the mix. Flanking the backdrop on each side were impressive-looking imitation chimney sweep brooms.
"Mary Poppins!" Will and Emma said in unison, smiling broadly.
"Oh, you're good, Mr. And Mrs. Schue. Me gusta!" Santana approved.
"We love it. Thanks!" said Will happily.
"It brings back fond childhood memories. Thank you!" added Emma.
"Everyone find their places, were going to serve lunch first, as it's almost noon," Will's mom announced. "Boys, will you help me bring the food out?" she said, turning to Matt, Mike, Sam, and Blaine.
"Sure," they replied.
They came out with trays of food. For lunch, they had turkey sandwiches (because it was Thanksgiving), peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (Will and Emma's favorite), a refreshing fruit salad, and for dessert, homemade chocolate chip cookies baked by Doodle and Emma's pumpkin pies. They had a little debate on who should have some pie, but in the end, they decided the Glee kids should have some, since Will's parents already had it during Will's birthday, and, of course, the Pillsburies knew the recipe by heart, and they could make some for themselves whenever they liked. They had lemon iced tea in teacups to drink, since it was too early for hot tea, and it was a warm day after all.
Emma and her family caught up with each other during lunch. Her parents were very happy that the pregnancy was going well. Her two nephews were excited to meet their cousins, too. Will had a chance to mingle with the Glee kids. He was so proud that all of them were still going to college and pursuing what they want, and keeping in touch with each other. He was surprised that Finn and Rachel and Kurt and Blaine were just friends now, but Quinn and Puck were going strong. Life was truly full of surprises. He stole a glance at Emma and was so happy that they had forever to be together. He considered himself very lucky indeed.
After lunch, they played some baby games. One was pin the tail on the kite, and everyone was laughing at the silliness of it all. They also had a game where they designed dresses out of toilet paper, and what was funny was that Finn and Puck were the models for the dresses.
After the games, Rachel stood up on a chair and made a speech. She began thusly:
"Excuse me, can I have everyone's attention, please!"
Puck couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes, but he gave her his full attention anyway.
"As the old co-captain of the original New Directions, I would like to say a few words in behalf of my classmates."
"Woohoo! Go, Berry!" whooped Lauren.
"Mr. and Mrs. Schuester, we are so happy for you! Twins! A boy and a girl. That is just the stuff fairy tales are made of, especially since we all knew about the struggles you had in the beginning. When we were in high school, you probably didn't know it, but we were quite exasperated with how you were so clueless that you were perfect for each other."
Will and Emma shared a look with wide eyes, surprised.
"Yes, we all knew how you pined for each other. When you finally got together, it was like having a complete family, because we always considered you our second mom and dad. We felt that you loved us unconditionally, even though we all had our weaknesses."
Nods of assent could be observed from all the Glee kids. By now, Will and Emma's faces were streaming with tears and they were holding each other's hands tight.
"And now, you will get to share your love to your own children, who I think, are so lucky to have you both as parents. We know that you will be wonderful parents to them, because you already had a lot of practice with us."
Everybody laughed.
"It is only fitting that on Thanksgiving Day, we give thanks to God for giving you to us as mentors. Mr. Schuester, thank you for not giving up on the Glee Club and for bringing us, a ragtag bunch of misfits, together. Thank you also for teaching us that the only life worth living is one that you are truly passionate about. Mrs. Schuester, thank you for the endless advice you gave us in our teenage years, it has helped to shape who we are now. And thanks for making us all those costumes for our competitions, and for being our number one cheerleader."
Everyone was trying hard to hold back his or her tears now, even Puck.
"We love you!" she concluded and went over to Will and Emma to give them hugs. Every member of New Directions followed suit, and when it was over, Will felt that he needed to say a few words himself.
"Guys, thank you so much for the kind words. I always considered all of you my kids, and I know Emma feels the same way. We love you all, warts and all. You know, Rachel, my darling Emma gave me that same advice when Glee was at its earliest stage and I was at a crossroads in my life. She made me realize what my passion was. My true passion in life is teaching, and of course . . . her," he smiled affectionately at Emma and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you, Emma, for giving me a new direction in life, and for putting up with me and loving me."
Emma was speechless and could only say 'Thank you!' to the kids and smile at Will with tears in her eyes.
Will and Emma's families were so touched by all that was going on and the ladies couldn't help but dab at their eyes.
"Raise your glass to Mr. and Mrs. Schuester," yelled Blaine.
Toasts were made and laughter and tears were shared.
After a few minutes, in which most of them recovered from overwhelming emotions, Finn gathered his former classmates on the space in front of the table with the presents.
"We have prepared a performance for you, Mr. and Mrs. Schue, just like old times. We hope you enjoy it!" he said.
They rendered quite a good interpretation of Just a Spoonful of Sugar, considering they only had a day's practice. Everyone in the audience clapped loudly, and Will and Emma and their nephews clapped the loudest.
After a brief rest for the performers, Emma's mother said to Will and Emma, "It's time to open your presents, my dears."
Will and Emma sat by the frontmost table while Doodle started handing out presents to them to be opened.
"I think Emma should do the honors," Will said, handing out a present to his wife.
Emma accepted it and said before opening the present, "This one is from Mom and Dad." She smiled at her parents fondly and unwrapped a set of quilts, handmade by her mom. "Thank you! It actually feels like Christmas right now. I love them." She touched the soft fabric that would soon line the cribs of their babies.
It really was like Christmas. They received baby bottles, pacifiers, and stuffed animals, including a Hedwig one from Blaine. Santana gave the twins matching periwinkle baby shoes, saying to them 'So that they'll match, just like Mommy and Daddy' with a wink. They even received a baby monitor from Shannon, who was in Michigan at the moment. The other presents consisted of baby toys, story books, and music for children, mostly nursery rhymes. Will got a brand new camera from his brother-in-law to capture memories with Emma and the twins.
They got lots of onesies and clothes, but the most special one they got was a pair that said 'Future Member of New Directions' printed on them. Will's eyes watered when he saw those.
"It's from all of us," explained Quinn. "You gave Beth a shirt saying just that, and we thought your babies should join the club, too." Puck gave her a squeeze on the shoulder.
"Thank you everyone for all the presents . . . " Emma began, but she was interrupted by the doorbell.
"I'll get it," said Will's dad. He came back a minute later with Neville and Harry, two of the current members of New Directions.
"I hope we made it in time," said Harry while he and Neville carried a large diaper cake between them. They smiled at everyone present.
"This is from all the members of New Directions, Mr. and Mrs. Schue, I should say the current members," said Neville.
"Thanks, boys! God knows we will be needing a lot of those," said Will.
"And there is one more thing they brought," said Will's dad from behind them. "Will some of you boys help me get it? It's quite big."
Puck and Sam went to the living room and returned with a very big wrapped box. They set the present in front of Will and Emma.
"Who is it from?" asked Emma, turning to the new arrivals.
"Just open it!" the boys said.
Will started unwrapping the package, and when he was done, they were met with an expensive looking twin stroller in crimson red.
"Look, Will, there's a note," Emma noticed.
Will opened the card, which read this way:
Greetings, William and Erma!
By the time you read this, I will be at my condo in Boca and, thankfully, far far away from those mealy-mouthed misshappen kids you love so much.
He rolled his eyes.
William, I decided to get you this because I know it would take you close to a year to save up for it, even with you and the ginger working at the same time.
P.S. I hope your kids don't turn out to be ginger pygmies with eyes like a bushbaby's.
P.P.S. And I really really hope that your kids don't inherit your terrible briar patch hair!
"It's from Sue, that sly old girl," said Will, shaking his head with a smile.
"Aww, that's sweet of her," said Emma.
As the afternoon wore on, one by one, the Glee kids said their goodbyes to be with their own families. Tears were shed and thank you's exchanged before everyone left. Will and Emma spent the evening with the Pillsburies and the Schuesters, the first time they had a joint Thanksgiving dinner. The day turned out to be better than what they expected. There truly was a lot to be thankful for, and they were thankful most of all for their family and friends.
AN: Thanks to GleekOut87 for giving me this idea of writing a baby shower chapter organized by Kurt. It was really hard to write, but I hope it turned out fine. Two chapters too late, but it made it! :) Thanks also to Charlotte for suggesting the baby grow present from New Directions, and for explaining to me what a baby grow is. :P
And I just have to say, Mary Poppins had to be the theme of the baby shower because it was my favorite movie from the time I could first remember until I was about eight. ^_^
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the past chapters. Please review this one! :)