A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the slow update, but guess what!? I turned 21 last week and have been busy with that. Anyways, I really hope you like this chapter because I'm excited to write the next. Hopefully I'll be able to get it out sooner than before. Reviews are much appreciated so please drop me one if you feel like it! Happy reading!
The next week Will is at the panel, is a blur. He tries to act normal, like his life didn't drastically change over the weekend. He attends the meetings, but sits quietly in his chair, constantly thinking about Emma and then Rachel and Thanksgiving and how everything is going to be so chaotic when they go home in a couple of days.
Nobody seems to notice a change in him, which is good on his part. He gets to avoid answering questions from people he has only known for a couple of weeks. He doesn't have many friends here, maybe one or two, and even then they don't really know anything about him. He wants to keep it that way now.
It's Wednesday night and Will is packing for the four day weekend. He has the suitcase on top of his bed as he searches through his temporary drawers. He packs most of his vests as well as his flannels because he doesn't know how cold it is there yet.
Emma told him it had been reasonable weather when she called a few hours earlier to confirm travel plans. He smiled and agreed with everything she had to say, trying to keep the love between them alive, because he knew that everything would turn to a living hell once he and Rachel were back in the same room together.
He hadn't thought much about what he was going to tell Emma, even though she constantly appeared in his thoughts. Everything he came up with was just no good though and would only humiliate and disappoint her. He knew he had to think of something though, as time was running out.
He finally packed the last of his things and moved his suitcase to sit in the chair by the door. He fell back into the bed after being exhausted from the day's meetings and rallies to support the arts.
He laid back into the pillows and was drifting off to sleep when his phone rang on the night stand. It was Rachel and he sighed to himself as he forgot to call her earlier. He waited for a second ring before answering it.
"Rachel, hi," Will said as he held the phone close to his ear, letting his head lay back into the surprisingly soft pillows. He waited for her angry tone, but he never got one. He sighed in relief and remembered that Rachel did mature a bit these past couple of months. Little things didn't upset her anymore and he was grateful that he wouldn't have to explain himself for not calling.
"So, I just wanted to make sure that we are all set to go home tomorrow?" Rachel asked nervously on the other line. She didn't want the last couple of days to change Will's mind about everything they had decided. She knew deep down though that he was serious about trying to work things out between them and the baby, even if at times he seemed overwhelmed and unsure.
"Yeah, everything is good. I arrive in the evening just before sectionals is supposed to start. What about you?" Will asked. He wasn't sure what time her flight arrived and wondered if she would arrive sooner or later than him. He half hoped later so he could tell Emma the news by himself but figured she would probably arrive first to spend time with her dads.
"In the afternoon, around 1 or so," Rachel said as she continued packing her plane ticket and the rest of her things into her own suitcase.
"Great," Will said as he sighed to himself.
"You okay, Will?" Rachel asked as she thought she heard his sigh. Will panicked and masked it as best he could.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to pack everything and work on what to say when we go home tomorrow," Will said as let out a breathy sigh. He then briefly closed his eyes, sleep was over taking him, but he continued to listen to Rachel because he hadn't talked to her much the past couple of days.
"Remember that I will be there with you and we can get through this together," Rachel said as she heard his worries through the phone. She knew he was being hesitant again and she wished he would stop worrying himself to death. It wasn't good for him or their relationship.
"I know, we can do this," Will said as he reminded himself that they were both strong people and had to be brave. Silence began to creep on the line as Will let out an accidental yawn.
"Are you tired?" Rachel asked as she heard it through the line.
"A bit, yeah," Will said as he used his free hand to rub his temple, trying to soothe a headache that was slowly forming.
"Well I'll let you go then and I'll meet up with you tomorrow at McKinley?" Rachel asked. She picked McKinley because it was a safe place. She didn't want either of them to be stuck in a position where things could get awkward. If they met at school, there would be other people there to distract them and no pressure to tell anyone anything yet.
"Okay, sounds good. See you tomorrow. And Rachel, please don't say anything about us until we are together tomorrow, okay?" Will pleaded, fearful that she would tell her dads before he got the chance to talk to them and explain his guilt.
"Okay, sounds fair," Rachel said as she really did want Will with her anyway when they told her dads the truth.
"Thank you, see you tomorrow," Will said again, a little more confident that things could go alright tomorrow when they landed. They just had to be very careful when choosing their words.
He listened to Rachel's goodbye and then hung his phone up. He put it back on the table and began to feel the heaviness in his eyes. It was still relatively early, but to him it felt much later. He knew he needed sleep though and let his eyes close completely before he drifted off for the night.
It was early morning when Will woke up the next day. His phone read nine o'clock. He sighed to himself as he had nothing to do until his plane took off in the afternoon at three. He hoped to make it in time for sectionals as they were starting at seven thirty. It was going to be close, but Will knew that he could make it if he hurried.
He continued to lie in bed and wondered about what the glee club had been up to while he was gone. He left Finn in charge, knowing that he could handle things while he was in DC. He had faith that they would perform great tonight and was not the slightest bit worried.
His stomach though, held a dull pain. He figured not from the competition but from the nerves he had developed over night about telling people that he was going to be a father. He still had no idea on what to say or even start to say, but knew that when the time came, something would have to be thought up. He pushed those horrifying thoughts out of his head though and tried to think of the happiness going back home would bring him.
He got to see Emma, the glee kids and Finn and even sleep in his apartment again. He knew that a majority of those things would be ruined though by the end of the weekend. He began to feel restless and decided it was finally time to get up.
He showered and shaved, changed into something comfy and sighed as only an hour at most had gone by. He paced back and forth in his hotel room and finally decided to watch something on tv to help pass the time. Since it being Thanksgiving, a football game was on and he managed to get engaged in it.
After two hours, he finally decided that it was a suitable time to leave and arrive at the airport. It was only twelve o'clock, but by the time he would arrive at the airport and check everything in, it wouldn't be much of a wait till his flight left.
While walking out, Will stopped a cab and told the driver to drop him off at the airport. The driver obliged and Will sat quietly in the back, thinking about how he was finally going home and how it was going to be the last time everything was normal.
He suddenly felt sick to his stomach with nerves again. The thought about how surprised everyone was going to be once the news would spread, kept reappearing in his mind. He shivered slightly and shook his head to rid of the worry as best as he could.
He finally made it to the airport and paid the driver the cash for the ride. He went through his check in and bag search and waited another forty minutes before his plane was called.
When it was time, he boarded the plane, listened to the safety measures and then put his headphones on to block out his overpowering thoughts and drown the world out.
He closed his eyes to help ease the pressure he was feeling and in a matter of minutes, was asleep. The stranger next to him gently woke him up when the plane had landed and Will thanked the man. He took off his headphones and sighed. He was home, yet somehow it didn't feel like home anymore, it felt different.
He quickly looked at his watch to check the time and noticed that he only had half an hour to get to McKinley before sectionals started. He made his way through the bag terminal and collected his things while he turned his cell phone back on.
He had text messages from both Rachel and Emma.
"Landed safely and with my dad's. See you at McKinley later. Text me when you land, Rachel"
"I can't wait to see you. I love you so much. Text me when you land, Em"
Will sighed as he began to write his replies. First to Emma and then to Rachel, telling them both that he had just landed and would see them soon.
After he sent his texts, he hurriedly made his way to the front of the entrance and hailed down another cab. He quickly told the driver the address to McKinley and he made it to the school in a reasonable amount of time.
Brining his bag in with him, he quickly stopped by his office and dropped it off, not wanting to hold it during the competition. He stopped though, as this was the first time he had been in it since his night with Rachel.
It gave him chills as he looked at his desk and remembered the things they had done on it, that night replaying through his head.
He shook his head to rid the memory and glanced at the clock in the process. Noticing it was time for sectionals to start; he left and continued on down to the auditorium, knowing he would be cutting it close.
He hurriedly walked in and immediately noticed Emma sitting one in from the aisle next to Sue. He smiled as he took in her presence. She was glowing with happiness as she turned around and saw him walking towards her.
Will smiled back and sat down in the empty seat next to her.
"Will! I can't believe you're here!" Emma said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, gently playing with the curls that laid there. "I've missed you so much," she added as she gave him a gentle kiss on the lips.
Will smiled into her hold and eagerly returned her gesture. He let his hands rest at her hips, and let them trace her hip bone back and forth with his thumb.
"Get a room," Sue called out next to them as Will finally pulled away, looking slightly embarrassed.
"It's nice to see you too, Sue," Will said as he glanced over to her. As he turned in her direction, Rachel came into his view. She was sitting next to Mercedes talking excitedly about something. Will sighed happily as it seemed that she didn't see the exchange between him and Emma, as he didn't know how she would feel about it.
"Will?" Emma asked as she noticed he was gazing in a daydream. "Will?" she said a little louder.
"Sorry, what did you say?" Will asked as he broke his gaze from Rachel and returned to Emma.
"I didn't say anything, but the competition is about to start. I'm excited that you could be here. Finn has been working them hard, but they miss you. I missed you," Emma said as she rested her head against his shoulder, feeling content in just about every way.
"I missed you too, Em," Will replied as he wrapped an arm around her back. As he did so, the lights began to dim and the judges were announced. Cheers and claps echoed through the auditorium as the New Directions came out and took the stage first.
Will watched them perform with pride and was amazed at how far they had gone without him there to coach them. He definitely needed to thank Finn for all his hard work, but that would be for after the competition.
As the performance ended, Will stood up and clapped widely with Emma next to him. They had done a great job and now all they had to do was eagerly wait for the results. His focus on the competition almost made him forget the situation he was in, and it wasn't until his phone buzzed that he realized he hadn't yet spoken to Rachel since he landed.
"Meet me in the hallway during intermission?" Will read as he glanced back to where Rachel was sitting. He couldn't find her though and quickly wrote her a reply.
"Yep, see you in five," Will replied back. He noticed Emma watching him and quickly made up an excuse.
"Just someone from the panel, nothing to worry about," Will said with a smile while Emma nodded in return, satisfied with his answer.
With ten minutes left before the results would be announced, Will snuck out of the auditorium by telling Emma that he needed to use the bathroom. She smiled and he quickly made his way to the hallway where he knew Rachel would be waiting for him.
He was right as he turned the corner and saw her gazing at the trophy case in the front of the school.
"Rachel," Will said quietly, afraid someone might hear him.
"Mr. Schuester," she said as she noticed his presence. Will eyed her suspiciously at the use of his formal title, but then figured that she was just trying to make things seem professional between them.
"How are you?" Will asked, keeping it simple. If a bystander happened to walk by, they would just assume that it was friends talking with each other, rather than a couple. Will kept his distance from her as well to add more of a friendly atmosphere to the room.
"Fine, how was your flight?" Rachel asked, following his pattern of basic, simple questions.
"It was good. I was asleep for most of it, so no trouble. How about yours?" Will asked in return.
"It went smoothly which is good for my stomach," Rachel said as she placed a hand over her soon to be baby bump. Will figured she was probably talking about morning sickness and how she would be developing it soon.
"Good, so, have you, have you talked to anyone yet?" he asked, afraid of what her reply would be. He kept his gaze away from her, worried that she would see his concerns.
"No, not yet, no one knows anything. I've only talked to my dad's a bit and Mercedes," Rachel said, reassuringly. Will smiled at her and nodded his head in approval. No one knew anything yet, which gave him more time to figure out what to do and who to tell first.
"When do you want to tell your fathers?" Will asked, knowing that Rachel held a look of uneasiness, probably feeling the guilt herself for lying to her parents.
"Soon, maybe not tonight, but first thing in the morning?" she asked as Will nodded in agreement.
"That sounds fair," Will said, as he began to realize that he would have to tell Emma tonight if he didn't want Rachel to be there.
"Well, we should get back inside. I told Emma I would be right back. We can talk more about this later," Will said as he noticed the announcer call everyone back to their seats and the hallways clear out.
"It must be nice to see her," Rachel said, quietly to where Will could barely even hear her. He looked at her with sorrow in his eyes, while he shoved his hands in his pockets.
"I, uh, it is," Will replied because he really did miss Emma. There was no denying that. He knew how Rachel felt towards him though and his relationship towards Emma. He looked at her apologetically, but she shook her head at him.
"I'll just see you later," she said as she walked without waiting his reply. Will sighed and ran a hand through his hair, hoping to ease the stress. He took another deep breath and headed back inside, with his best acting face he could muster.
"What took you so long, sweetheart?" Emma asked sweetly as Will took his empty seat next to her.
"Oh, I ran into Rachel," Will said, slightly mentioning that she was in town as well. Maybe if he eased her into the news, piece by piece, it wouldn't be so hard to tell her everything later. He knew that was a longshot though. Telling her the news was going to be hard either way.
"How is she? I didn't know she was coming back. It must have been nice to see her," Emma said excitedly as Will's heart began to tighten in his chest.
"It was nice to see her again. We're going to try and get coffee tomorrow morning," Will said thinking of an excuse that would allow him to spend time with Rachel to where it wouldn't look suspicious. This also gave him time for them to tell her dad's tomorrow morning together, instead of her on her own.
"That would be nice. You two can catch up," Emma smiled and Will sighed in relief as she had no clue behind his intentions. This however quickly turned to guilt as he was reminded that all he was telling her were lies.
"Yeah," Will started to say but the judges came out onto the stage with the choir groups, New Directions standing proudly with Finn in front.
As the New Directions were announced second place and the Warblers first, Will felt his heart drop. Second place was not supposed to happen. The New Directions were the better group in his mind, which only left him to batter with himself even more on how he should have been there to coach them. How they would have gotten first if he was there to lead them.
He felt Emma grip onto his shoulder for comfort as he knew he was wearing a look of surprise on his face.
"I'm going to go talk to them," Will said as he leant over and quickly placed a kiss to Emma's forehead. She nodded without giving a reply as Will was already out of the auditorium.
He quickly made his way to the choir room and found all members sulking in their plastic, red chairs.
"Mr. Schue," Finn said as he stood up, surprised to see their teacher back from DC. They were not aware that he was coming back for the competition.
"Hi, guys. Great job out there, you deserve first place," Will said as he clapped Finn on the back.
"I'm sorry, we let you down," Finn said as the other members nodded in agreement.
"You didn't. What I saw out there was all of you having the time of your life. That's enough for me even if you didn't win," Will said as he scanned the room of familiar faces.
It was funny how they thought something as small as losing sectionals would let him down. They were in for a surprise when he would finally have to tell the truth about him and Rachel.
"We're out of the competition though," Sam said with the others nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we can't all still perform," Will said, as others contemplated his words.
"I guess, it just sucks," Finn said. "I was supposed to lead us to victory like you would have done, Mr. Schue," Finn said in disappointment as he failed to be a leader.
"We'll get them next time, okay? No need to beat yourselves up over it. You have done a great job while I've been away," Will said with a smile. The group nodded and his statement and pulled it together. They were soon back to their old selves, talking loudly with each other about the performance.
"So, guys listen up," Will said once everyone had quieted down.
"I want us to meet tomorrow, around noon, just to catch up on what I've missed," Will said as he planned his word carefully. The others looked at him oddly, but agreed to meet him nonetheless.
"Okay, great. See you all tomorrow," Will said as he watched the New Direction members leave the choir room, some still a bit upset about the loss.
"What do you want to tell us tomorrow?" Finn asked while Will made his way to his office. He stopped in his tracks, surprised by his question. He should have known that Finn would catch on to him.
"Um, nothing important. I just want to see how everyone's been," Will said quickly, causing Finn to look at him concerned.
"You sure? You seem a bit distracted," he said as he noticed Will fidget by the door to his office.
"I'm okay, really. Just tired I guess from my flight, which reminds me that I need to go and catch up with Emma before she leaves without me," Will said as he grabbed his bag from his office.
"Rachel's here, you know?" Finn asked as Will stepped out from his office and was making his way to the door to leave. Again, this made Will stop and make his heart race. He never really stopped and thought about Rachel and Finn's relationship and how it affected him. He was most connected to them out of the previous New Directions but was always more focused on Emma and Rachel. He scolded himself for disregarding Finn's feelings during this whole ordeal.
"Yeah, I talked to her outside for a couple of minutes, during intermission," Will said as he watched Finn's face turn to surprise and then sadness.
"What's wrong?" Will asked, noticing his face change as fast as a chameleon's skin.
"It's just, this is the first time I have seen her since Grease and before then we had a pretty big fight," Finn said while Will did his best to remain calm and collected. He reminded himself though that Finn knew nothing.
"Why don't you talk to her?" Will suggested even if that would only complicate things more.
"Yeah maybe. I hear she is dating a new guy though, Brody," Finn said as he looked on the verge of tears, while Will remembered his awkward encounter with Brody at Rachel's apartment.
"Well, you never know unless you try," Will said while feeling the desperate urge to leave the conversation. He was feeling the guilt rise up through his stomach and if he didn't leave soon, he knew he would tell Finn the truth.
"Yeah, okay. Thanks Mr. Schue. I can always count on you to help me out. I've missed you," Finn said as he walked over and gave him a hug. Will sighed to himself as he returned the gesture, but only felt the pain in his chest grow more, stabbing his heart in every direction.
"I've missed you too, but, I'll see you tomorrow?" Will asked as Finn nodded in return. "Night, Finn," Will said as he finally left with all his belongings.
He was greeted with Emma outside the door and he gave her a small smile, still feeling the guilt that was in his chest. Emma noticed something was wrong and became concerned.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, just guy talk," Will said as he threw his arm around her shoulder. "Let's go home," he added while Emma gave him her signature doe eyed smile.
The drive home was mostly filled with Will catching Emma up on everything that he had been up to at the panel, with of course leaving all business about Rachel out till tomorrow. She listened and laughed at his comments and gently squeezed his knee in the car.
Will noticed her grabs were becoming more apparent and more bold and new immediately what Emma was planning once they were at home and in their room. He couldn't deny that he liked her gesture, but everything with Rachel made him confused on who he felt more strongly for.
As he pulled into their spot, Emma reached over and kissed him, grabbing his face in her hands. He closed his eyes and thought of a response that would get her to stop before things went too far.
"Emma, I'm really not feeling that well," Will said as he grabbed his stomach, pretending that he had an ache.
"It's okay, we can just get ready for bed then," she said while Will noticed that she was slightly disappointed. Her disappointment only made him hate himself even more for lying because he was not being a trustworthy partner. Everything he had been doing was based on a lie and he couldn't take the pressure. He needed to tell her, whether Rachel was with him or not.
"Emma, I need to talk to you and it's pretty big," Will said as they got out of the car and made their way up to the apartment.
"Okay," Emma said with uneasiness, surprised by the sudden change in Will's attitude. Will unlocked their door and headed to the couch, a comfortable place where he could tell her the truth.
"What is it, Will?" Emma asked as she noticed that Will looked sick to his stomach, which made her wonder if he really was ill.
"I, I don't know where to start," Will said as he let out a breathy sigh. This only made Emma stare at him, wide eyed and confused.
"Please, say something," Emma said as she began to feel her OCD tendencies appear. She began to rub her hands back and forth, counting under her breath. Will noticed, and took her hands in his, trying to calm her down.
"A baby is a beautiful thing right?" he asked, surprising himself at his wording. Emma nodded, unsure of where this was going. They talked about having children, but decided to wait until they were at least married.
"Yes they are. I thought we decided to wait though," Emma said as Will shushed her, allowing him to continue.
"We did," Will said but Emma cut him off, feeling the concerns rush through her.
"I don't think we are ready to have a child yet, Will. We haven't even finished planning the wedding," Emma said, taking over Wills original thoughts, leaving him to stare at her with a worry creased forehead.
"I know, Emma. I was just thinking that if it happened sooner, would it be such a bad thing?" he asked and she looked at him confused as ever.
"We will have a baby, Will. Just not right now, okay? We need to be more ready," she said as she took his face in her hands and held it gently. Her hands brushing his smooth cheeks.
"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Emma asked, seeing the doubt still in his eyes.
"I, uh, yeah. I just wanted to know if anything changed while I was gone," Will said, mentally kicking himself for backing out of the truth. It was hard though, and he couldn't muster enough courage to do it. He needed more time.
"Will, we'll be great parents, but when the time is right, okay? I want nothing more than to have children with you but not now, honey, I'm sorry," Emma said as she continued to stroke his jaw line.
"It's okay, I understand," Will said, finishing the conversation, knowing that he was not going to be able to tell her the truth now. There was no way he could after she said she wanted to have a baby with him.
"Bed?" he asked and she nodded. They got up from the couch and made their way down the hallway to their slightly small bedroom. Will stepped in first and headed to the bathroom. He showered and changed his clothes and stepped out so Emma could have her turn.
He lay down on the bed and briefly closed his eyes, but was awakened as Emma shifted next to him, laying her head on his chest.
"I'm really glad you're here this weekend," she said as she gave him a light kiss on his chest through his t-shirt.
"Me too, Em, me too, Happy Thanksgiving," Will said with a small smile.
He was glad it was dark so he wouldn't have to try so hard and she wouldn't see what his face was really doing. He felt her breathing even out and knew that she was asleep. He however continued to lay in bed, wide awake thinking of how tomorrow was going to be the day that everything changed and how his life would never be the same.