A/N: Hey everyone! So this took me way longer to write than I had hoped. I literally changed it about seven times before I found a version I liked but thanks for patiently waiting. Also thanks for all the reviews last time! I was not expecting to get so many! Hope you all like the new chapter and please read and review! Happy reading!
Will opened the door and took in the image of the young man in front of him. He was tall and muscular with short brown hair. He looked to be about Rachel's age, which Will had concluded to be right when he heard Rachel's voice behind him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked voice timid and low.
"I needed to see you," he said looking over Will's shoulder and towards the kitchen.
"Why?" Rachel asked, not making any movement towards him. Will could hear the hurt in her voice and wondered what was going on between them to make her so upset. He finally turned around to look at Rachel and noticed that she was on the verge of tears. Will stepped out of the way as the boy rushed passed him.
"I made a mistake," the still unnamed boy said. Will shifted his gaze from Rachel to him. He eyed him curiously, wondering who he was. Rachel obviously knew him, but he still needed a name.
"It was more than a mistake," Rachel said as she folded her arms across her chest. Will turned his attention back to her and saw that she was in her defensive mode. He knew that nothing good ever came when she was fired up about something. He could feel the tension and awkwardness rising in the room.
He suddenly felt the desperate urge to go on his run that he still hadn't been on. He for some reason though, couldn't move his feet towards the door and remained still instead.
"It didn't mean anything though," the boy said as he tried to explain whatever was wrong.
"Brody, you know Cassandra hates me, why would you do that to me?" Rachel asked as she tucked a piece of hair out of her face. Will watched her and noticed her insecurities coming out. She may have grown up, but deep down, she was still the same diva he knew back in glee club. He smiled though, at the mention of his name and remembered Rachel talking to him about Brody that night back in Lima. He was now able to put the name to the face.
"I know, that's why I did it. To make you mad," Brody explained, stepping closer to Rachel and farther away from Will. He reached for her arm as he made his way to the kitchen, but Rachel pushed him away and continued to hold her arms close to her chest.
Will continued to watch the scene before him unfold. He wondered if he should intervene but he knew Rachel all too well. If he interrupted her, there would be no going back. He would become involved with her and a random stranger, dealing with a problem he knew nothing about. The thought of that gave him a headache on its own and decided to stay out of it till someone had noticed that he was still in the room.
"Why would you want to make me mad?" Rachel asked as her voice was quickly rising. Will knew it was only a matter of time before Rachel took her full diva form and started yelling.
"Because of Finn," Brody replied. "You were obviously still in love with him and it hurt me, because you were with me. I wanted to hurt you back," he explained. Rachel stared at him in disappointment and confusion. She didn't know what was going on and everything was just a huge mess in her head.
Will directed his attention back to Brody at the mention of Finn. He knew about Finn and Rachel's relationship. He began to wonder if Brody knew anything about him and what was going on between him and Rachel. He calmed down a bit though as he realized that Brody had not even acknowledged him since he opened the door. That gave him the conclusion that he had no idea who he was. Will sighed happily and remained still in his spot.
"I'm not anymore though. I told you I moved on," Rachel said as she dared not look over to Will. She knew he was still in the room and was probably feeling the most uncomfortable tension, but she knew one look would give it all away. She figured the less Will was in the conversation, the less talking about their problem, would happen. She wanted to tell Brody the truth, but not this way, so she had to resort to her feelings about Finn and humor him.
"If you have moved on then why haven't you taken any of my calls? I called you today," he said as he folded his arms across his chest, not entirely believing Rachel.
"I was sleeping. I'm sorry," Rachel replied back. It was true; she was sleeping while he called.
Silence began to creep in the room as both Rachel and Brody were staring at each other, trying to put the pieces of their relationship back together while Will just stood in his same spot, unable to move. He realized he hadn't been breathing and let out a long sigh. It was much louder than intended and received looks from both Rachel and Brody.
Rachel eyed him with wide eyes but turned her attention quickly back to Brody, who seemed confused as he finally noticed another person in the room.
"I think we should continue discussing this another time, Brody," Rachel said quickly glancing back to Will. She noticed his gaze on her but ignored him and waited for Brody to say something, anything, as long as it didn't involve Will.
"I'll call you in a couple of days," Rachel added, seeing as he was still silent. "We'll see where we are then," she concluded to remind him that they weren't done talking about this conversation. Brody looked over to Will one last time and gave him a glare. Will stared back at him, but didn't move. He watched Brody slowly turn around and leave, finally sliding the door closed behind him without a word.
Once he was gone, Will remained rooted in the same spot. He wanted to move, but couldn't. He was still processing what had just happened as it was still a mess in his head. After a couple of minutes, he finally broke the silence, seeing as Rachel hadn't.
"Rachel, what was that about?" he asked, utterly confused and lost on what was going on.
"Remember the Brody I told you about?" she asked as Will nodded a yes. "That's him," she said with a frown. Will widened his eyes in realization as everything was finally piecing together
"I'm sorry," was all Will could say, because he didn't know what to do to make her feel better. It then dawned on Will that things in New York hadn't been exactly easy on Rachel as he believed them to be. She was grown up, but she was still the same insecure girl in glee club that he knew so well.
"Don't," Rachel started to say, as Will looked at her confused. "I'm just as bad as he is," she added as the tears finally came out. Will watched her cry as she tried to dry her tears with her sleeve.
He hated seeing her so upset, so he opened his arms to her. It was the only thing he could offer her and it would show his support. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head gently against his chest. He used his hands to rub small circles on her back to help soothe her.
In a couple of minutes, Rachel's tears had subsided and she calmed down. Will, using his finger, dabbed away the last fallen tear on her cheek. She smiled at him before explaining everything about Cassandra's hate for her and Brody's actions.
"You're not like him, Rachel. Your actions may have been the same, but you and I are different," Will said as he tried to make her feel better after she was done telling him everything.
"How?" Rachel asked confused.
"Brody did it out of hate, you didn't," Will explained. "At least I don't think you did," he added with a chuckle to try and make her smile. She just mockingly rolled her eyes at him.
"No, I didn't sleep with you Will to make anyone jealous," Rachel said, reassuring him. "I'm pregnant though, which is just as bad," she added as she glanced down to her stomach. It was only a matter of time before she would start showing.
"True, but we'll get through this, Rachel. I promise you," Will said as he leaned in and kissed her forehead. He felt her relax a little and he let go, his eyes drifting down to her stomach as well.
"When are you going to tell him the truth though, Rachel?" Will asked, curious to know, still keeping his eyes on the soon to be bump. He knew now wasn't the best time for an answer, but he was only in New York for a short time.
"I don't know. I know it needs to be done though," Rachel said as she watched Will's eyes on her stomach. She wondered what he was thinking as he was hard to read. She knew he was trying to be supportive though, which made her smile. The kiss on her forehead made her heart swell.
"We'll, I'll be here, if you need me," Will said as his eyes left her stomach, travelling back up to her face. He saw her smiling at him and for a moment believed that everything would be okay. He didn't have to worry about telling anyone or what they were going to do. They could just be themselves and the thought of a baby wouldn't be seen as a problem, but a blessing.
"Why don't you go sit down for a bit?" Will commented as he saw the worn out look on Rachel's face. It had been a long day and he thought she could use the rest. She nodded at him and both made their way to the sitting area.
"Do you care if I still go on my run?" he asked as he wasn't tired at all. His nap had given him some energy and he was itching to burn off his own stress.
"No, you go ahead," Rachel said as she folded her legs underneath her, while pulling the blanket over her that was lying on the back of the couch. Will waited until she was situated before he finally headed towards her door.
"If you need anything, call me. I'll have my phone," Will said as he started to unraveled his ear buds.
"Thanks, but Kurt's here so I should be okay," Rachel said, reminding herself to go talk to him once Will had left.
Will nodded at her statement as he opened her door. He gave her another quick glance just to make sure she was okay. Once she finally nodded at him for the last time, he stepped out and made his way down to the street.
The cool November air felt good against Will's face as he realized his cheeks were burning. He briefly stretched and then started running, to where, he wasn't sure. He just felt the need to get away, away from his troubles and from Rachel. He was trying to be supportive and thought he was doing a good job, but it was hard when all he could think about was Emma.
He tried not to let his face show the pain that he was keeping inside because he knew it would only cause more problems between him and Rachel. The fact that Rachel was having relationship problems with Brody also didn't make for the right time for him to say anything.
As he realized that Rachel never set a date to tell Brody the truth, he began to think that maybe Emma didn't need to know just yet. He planned to tell her next week at Thanksgiving, but what if he could hold it off? Wait a couple of more weeks before breaking the news? He knew it sounded silly but he just wanted all the time with Emma he could get before everything would come crashing down.
Will only made it to the street corner when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He stopped and sighed as Emma's name flashed on his screen. He sighed as he forgot that today was their phone date where they would talk about their week.
"Em, hi," Will said as he tried to catch his breath. He waited for his greeting but instead of a hello, he was met with a frantic ramble of words.
"Will, I can't do this without you here. I can't plan a whole wedding by myself," Emma said to him on the other line, in a panic. Will's heart sank as he listened to her on the other line. He wished he could be there to calm her, but he wasn't, and that was the hardest part.
"It's okay, Emma. Just calm down and take a deep breath," Will said as he tried to help calm her. He didn't realize he was doing the same motions himself, his for different reasons than planning a wedding.
"Now, tell me what's wrong?" he asked once he thought she was breathing normally again and both were able to talk calmly.
"You're not here to help me, Will, and I really miss you," Emma said through crackled sobs that echoed throughout their apartment. She hated being alone in it and hated knowing that Will was so far away.
"I miss you too, Emma, but, I have to be here. I know it's hard but I'll be home next weekend. We will have plenty of time together to plan the wedding and just be us," Will said hoping his words would eased her stress. Sensing she wasn't calming down, he added more.
"You have to trust me, Emma. I know that everything is going to be fine and we will get everything done," Will added.
He felt a stab of guilt in his chest. He knew that wasn't true, but it was the only thing he could think of that would reassure Emma in her moment of panic.
"Okay, I trust you. I love you, Will," Emma said calmly and peacefully, using a simple breathing technique to return her back to normal.
"I love you too. I'll call you in a couple of days, okay?" Will said as he briefly closed his eyes in sorrow.
After listening to about ten more goodbyes and I love you's, she finally hung up. Will cursed to himself as he put his phone back in his pocket. He swung his legs angrily, hoping to release the stress. It worked, but it wasn't enough. He still felt guilty and horrible for doing the things that he did.
"I'm sorry, Emma. So sorry," Will said quietly to himself as he ran a hand through his hair. It wasn't helping calm him down though as he was becoming more frustrated by the minute. He began pacing back and forth on the sidewalk as the guilt continued to eat away in his stomach.
He couldn't take it anymore and finally he ran. Thoughts of Emma mixed in with Rachel took over his mind and he couldn't cope with it. He ran in unknown territory but he didn't care. It didn't stop him and he didn't mind. Every block he went down took him farther and farther away from Rachel and the problems that lay in her apartment.
When he couldn't run anymore, he collapsed on a bench on the sidewalk. His breathing was heavy and he tried to slow it down. He ran a hand over his face to rid of the drops of sweat that had landed there. He was drenched as he looked down at the front of his shirt. A perfect v trail was made as it started from his neck to his waist.
He continued to sit as he let his head fall back against the top of the bench. He closed his eyes and let the cool air sweep over his overheated body. He rubbed his eyes and then his hair and continued moving his hand along the back of his neck. He finally rested it back to his side.
He sighed to himself when he opened his eyes as it was slowly getting dark. The sun was beginning to set and he knew that it would be too dark to run back. He knew he should stop a cab to take him back to Rachel's apartment, but he wasn't ready to face her again. She deserved better than what he was giving her. It wasn't fair to her for him to keep feeling sorry about himself when she was going through the same thing with her relationships.
He wished he had his bag with him so he could go to the train station and go home tonight. His bag was on the floor in her room though and knew that he had to go back in order to get it.
Sucking up his self-pity, he hailed down a taxi and told the driver Rachel's address.
He made it back to her apartment in twenty five minutes and sighed to himself as he got out. He made his way up the now familiar stairs, and stopped at Rachel and Kurt's door.
He stopped though and leaned against the wall for support. His legs were sore from running and could use less stress. He took a couple more minutes to compose himself. He had a plan, go in, get the bag and get out.
When he was ready to face her again, he opened the door to her apartment. He was surprised when it wasn't locked and immediately mentioned it to her.
"Rach, do you know your door isn't locked?" he asked as he looked around for her. She wasn't on the couch anymore and he began to wonder where she was.
He walked towards her room but heard talking in opposite direction. It was her and Kurt in his room, talking deeply about something that he could vaguely hear. He heard his name clearly though and remained still. All thoughts about his plan disappeared.
"Rachel, I know this is hard on you but it will work out. Mr. Schue's not going to be a dead beat on you," Will heard Kurt say. He immediately knew that they were talking about him.
"You should really call him Will. It makes it not sounds so weird," Rachel said with a chuckle.
"I feel weird calling him that though," Kurt said with a laugh. "I don't know him like you do," he added with another laugh while Rachel gave him a stern but playful glare. Will remained silent as he moved a bit closer to the wall in order to hear better.
"Seriously though, Rachel, if he loved you, would you be with him?" Kurt asked. Will was as close to the wall as he could get without actually being in the room.
"I, I don't know," Rachel stammered out. "I'm mean, I'm attracted to him and he holds many qualities that I like, but it's complicated." She paused before continuing as she saw Kurt eyeing her suspiciously. "Okay, I would be with him if he loved me, but he doesn't, so we don't have to analyze that," Rachel said all in one quick breath.
Will felt his heart sink at her confession. He didn't know what to feel anymore or who to be with. He was confused as he didn't think Rachel thought of him more than a one night stand.
"Hey want something to drink?" he heard Rachel ask Kurt.
At this, he quickly made his way away from Kurt's door and as close to the front door as possible so it would look like he just walked in. He made it just in time as Rachel and Kurt came out of the room and into the kitchen.
"Will," Rachel said confused as she saw him at the door. "Have a good run?" she asked as she saw the sweat run down his shirt.
"Yeah, it really cleared my head," Will said quickly as it was total lie. If anything, his run only made him more stressed about Emma and more confused about Rachel.
"Good," Rachel said as she felt Kurt's eyes on her.
"So, I'm going to go take a shower and get ready for bed," Will said awkwardly as both were staring at him. "I have to get up early tomorrow and get ready to go back to the panel," he added seeing the confused looks on their faces.
"Okay," Rachel said with a smile. "Feel free to sleep in my bed," she added. Will nodded at her and returned the smile.
Rachel and Kurt went back to making their drinks while Will headed into the shower. Twenty minutes later, he was out and getting dressed. He made his way into Rachel's room and considered sleeping on the couch. Her bed was comfy though and decided against it.
He made himself comfortable and in no more than ten minutes, was fast asleep. About two hours later, he heard Rachel climb in next to him. He felt her hand run against his shoulder blade as he pretended to be asleep.
Her motions were quick and her hand was gone just as soon as it had been placed. He heard her whisper a "sleep tight" to him and he wondered if she knew that he was awake. She turned away though and decided that she didn't notice.
Feeling the guilt rise in his chest again, he felt the desperate urge to leave. He remembered his plan earlier, get in, get the bag and leave, but he somehow got distracted and never fulfilled his mission.
He looked at her clock and the time read 10:30. It was too early to go to the train station, so Will closed his eyes briefly. He would have to wait till morning to leave, but at least he would have time to think and clear his mind. He hoped that in the morning things would make sense again, but he knew that it would be a much longer wait before his mind would be thinking clearly again.