A/N: Hey everyone! So sorry I've haven't updated in a while. I've been really busy finishing the semester up. The good news is that I'm done with the semester and will have more time to write (hopefully). Anyways, here's chapter 19! Thanks to everyone who still reads and reviews and has followed the story this long! It's much appreciated! Please leave a review to let me know what you think! Happy reading!
"So have you made a decision about your job? I know you only made the call this morning but I'm sure Rachel is expecting an answer," Kurt asked as Will walked next to him down the busy street.
"I don't know. I mean I'm pretty sure I'll have to find a job here in order to support Rachel but something about leaving McKinley is a bit saddening," Will explained. He had been a teacher there for five years in which he won teacher of the year twice. He learned a lot by teaching at the school and was afraid to leave it behind without knowing what to do in New York.
"I know you'll miss the glee club but I'm sure Finn has it taken care of. That's really the only thing holding you back," Kurt explained as Will really had no other ties in Lima rather than his parents. His relationship with Ms. Pillsbury was over so he didn't have to tend to her either.
"I know but Lima's always been my home. I mean at one point I wanted to live here in the city but that was when I was younger and carefree," Will explained as he thought back to his eighteen year old self. He wanted Broadway just as much as Rachel but after a horrible audition, Will decided to stay in Lima and pursue teaching instead.
"It's never too late for a change. Just six months ago Rachel, Santana and I all lived in Lima. We're doing fine in New York, despite some minor setbacks," Kurt explained.
"This was all part of your plan though, Kurt. Rachel wanted Broadway, you wanted Broadway. I don't know what Santana wants but I guess it's here in New York. I, however, didn't have New York as part of the plan and now that I'm here, I have no idea what to do," Will replied, stress on his face.
"Audition for things, teach another glee club, be a street performer. There are a lot of options once you start looking," Kurt suggested as Will gave him an unsure look.
"And I'm just saying this because I think if you go back to Lima you won't be happy," Kurt added after a moment's pause after seeing Will's conflicted face.
"I haven't really been happy since I found out Rachel was pregnant," Will replied quietly, head hanging low as he continued to walk down the street. He felt a bit guilty for admitting that but it was how he felt and he couldn't lie.
"I mean, I'm better, but I haven't been completely and honestly happy," Will explained as he saw Kurt give him a look of sympathy.
"That's why you stay here, so Rachel can make you happy. Or so Santana and I can try too," Kurt encouraged. "The baby needs a dad to be around to take care of it and Rachel needs you too," Kurt added. Will looked at him in silence knowing he was right, he just didn't know what to do.
"It's rather far back to the loft. I'm getting us a cab," Kurt said after a few minutes of silence. Will silently nodded, mind too preoccupied with his words.
A cab pulled up within a few seconds in which Kurt opened the door for Will to go inside first. The ride back to the loft was short, only taking about twenty minutes. The two sat in silence though as the cab made its way through the busy city. Will wasn't in the mood to talk and was looking forward to Rachel's bed for some peace and quiet.
Once at the loft, Will walked up the steps following Kurt from behind and went straight back to Rachel's bedroom without Kurt having the time to question him. He pulled Rachel's door of a curtain back far enough to get him inside and then he quickly closed off the entrance. He sat down on Rachel's bed and closed his eyes. He wasn't necessarily tired, but he felt like his brain was pushing him extra hard today. He laid back onto the bed and kicked his shoes off before making himself comfortable.
As he felt his eyes drift to a close, Kurt shouted that he was stepping out for a bit to go down to the bakery to have breakfast in the morning. Deciding he couldn't sleep, Will stood up and stripped down to take a shower.
Since he was alone, he didn't bother with a towel and walked into the shower nude. He turned the water on and let it warm up for a few seconds before jumping in. Once it had been long enough for the water to warm up, he tested the water with his palm and decided to get in.
In the shower, Will proceeded to do his usual routine but stayed in a bit longer than usual as he was preoccupied with his thoughts. He was humming to himself as well so he didn't hear the door slide open and feet walking through the loft. When he decided that his skin was as clean as it was going to get, Will stepped out of the shower.
He shook his head over the sink to get some of the heavy water droplets out but remembered he didn't bring a towel and stepped out of the bathroom nude. Without looking where he was going, he bumped into Rachel causing her to lose balance and slip to the ground with him on top of her.
"Will! What are you doing?" Rachel yelped in surprise as she took in his wet form and nude body. It was the first time she had seen him completely nude since their night together more than a month ago. She tried not to stare at his body but was having a hard time looking elsewhere as he was right on top of her.
"I was taking a shower. I didn't hear," Will tried to explain but was cut off by Santana and Quinn standing at Rachel's door, looking at the two in amusement.
"You work fast Schue," Santana said eyeing his body, making Will feel slightly uncomfortable at the thought of his former students seeing him in the flesh.
"If you two would like to be alone we can just leave," Quinn said staring at the two with wide eyes but with a slight amused smile on her lips.
"This isn't what it looks like guys," Will rambled as he tried to explain the situation. He tried to stand but remembered he was completely naked though and proceeded to hide from behind Rachel who had now positioned herself to cover him.
"Will you guys leave?" Rachel asked as nice as she could, embarrassment shown on her face but more for Will than herself. She did her best to try to cover his body but he was taller and therefore wasn't able to fit himself behind her.
"I'm not sticking around to hear the horizontal tango go in here," Santana said as she began to walk away, making a face of fake disgust.
"That's not what we're going to do," Rachel shouted out but Santana was already in the kitchen with Quinn laughing about what had just happened.
Once they were alone, Will looked up from his bowed head and ran a hand over his neck.
"Well that was awkward," he said as light as he could. Rachel stared back at him with a humiliated look on her face. However, seconds later, was overcome with laughter as she realized what had just happened.
"Here, let me get you a towel," Rachel finally said as Will was still dripping wet. She realized as her shirt was rather damp from him leaning on her.
"Thank you," Will said as he remained crouched to the floor. Rachel came back in a few seconds later and handed him the towel with her turning away to respect his privacy as he put it on. Once the towel was wrapped firmly around his waist, he was finally able to stand up without the worry of being exposed.
"I bet there making jokes in there," Will said as he heard the continued laughter of Santana and Quinn echo throughout the kitchen.
"Well it was pretty amusing," Rachel said with a smile, trying to make him smile. "But also a little humiliating, for you I mean," she quickly added as Will felt the heat on his face grow.
"Do you, do you think they saw anything?" Will asked as he briefly glanced down to his now covered private area, hoping Rachel would get the point.
"I don't think so but if they did I'm sure Santana will be making a joke about it later. Not that there is anything to joke about because you aren't small," Rachel replied, making Will give an intriguing look. "I mean, you know what I mean," Rachel said as she realized what she just confessed. She felt a blush appear on her cheeks as Will looked at her in amusement. He was about to open his mouth to reply but Santana interrupted.
"We saw, grande Schuester," she shouted from behind the curtain as she passed by.
"Great," Will said with dread, as he ran a hand over his neck. Rachel gave him a smile though and walked over to him. She placed a kiss on his lips, hoping to distract him and ease the situation. It worked as he responded by gracefully moving his lips over hers. When they broke apart, he smiled and placed his hand one her elbow.
"Now get dressed, okay? We're going to start cooking dinner soon," Rachel said as she playfully tapped his chest, causing Will to smirk at her.
As Rachel left, Will went over to his clothes that now had their own drawer. He pulled out a flannel shirt and a pair of blue jeans and continued to dry off the water from his skin. He sat on Rachel's bed as he put his clothes on and tried to not think how his former students just saw him naked and wet. It was one thing to see him nude but it was another that he was on top of Rachel. He shook his head of the image going through his mind of Santana and Quinn's laughing faces and knew this was going to be a memory that he was sure would always pop up on occasion.
When he was done, he walked out of Rachel's room, a bit nervous that the others were still talking about him. They were chatting among themselves though as Rachel pulled out the chicken from the fridge.
"Anything I can help with?" Will asked as he watched Rachel move around the tiny kitchen.
"I think I'm okay right now, but maybe in a bit?" Rachel asked and Will shook his head.
"Should you be exerting yourself like this? I didn't hurt you when I bumped into you did I?" Will suddenly thought, afraid that the baby could have possibly been injured. He knew it was silly but he had to take certain precautions now.
"I'm fine, Will," Rachel said in reassurance.
"I'm sorry, I got you wet," Will said as he took in her sleeve. It was still damp from his skin leaning on her.
"That's what she said," Santana snickered from the table, causing Quinn to laugh and Will to stare at her wide-eyed.
"Really, Santana?" Rachel commented, while Santana continued to smirk.
"What? You can't expect me to say something that's not dirty after what we just saw," Santana explained as she looked over to Will.
"Can we pretend that never happened? For all our sakes?" Will asked, eyes begging.
"What never happened?" Kurt asked as the door slid open. He was holding several grocery bags from the local baker.
"That we saw Mr. Schue naked," Santana blurted causing Will to glare at her and Rachel to roll her eyes. "What?" Kurt asked in awe.
"I was taking a shower after you left and I didn't hear the three of them come in. I had no towel so when I walked out I bumped into Rachel and slipped, causing us to fall in which Santana and Quinn saw, everything," Will explained putting emphasis on the word everything. He briefly closed his eyes, the humiliation seeping through again.
"Okay?" Kurt said a bit confused, not sure what to think. "Weird, but anyways, I bought bagels for tomorrow before we have to take Quinn to the train station," Kurt said as he placed the bags down on the counter.
"Thanks, Kurt," Rachel said. "What time do you have to leave tomorrow, Quinn?" Rachel asked, a bit sad that Quinn was leaving so soon. It felt like she had just arrived and now she was leaving.
"My train leaves at noon," Quinn replied as she looked at the note she made on the calendar in her phone.
"It feels like you just got here," Kurt commented, causing Santana and Will to shake their heads in agreement.
"I know but I'll be sure to call and Skype. I'm not that far away either so I can always come down again," Quinn said as she looked at Rachel. "Or even you guys could come to Yale," she added with a smile.
"That would be great. It's something we can think about before I get too pregnant," Rachel said as she searched for a pan in the kitchen.
"We're having everyone over for Christmas too. You should come," Kurt reminded as the holiday was just a few weeks away. His dad, Leroy and Hiram Berry, as well as an extended invitation to the original New Directions were all invited to spend Christmas in New York.
"I might be going back home to see my mom but if something changes, I'll let you know," Quinn said with a smile.
"Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes," Rachel said as silence crept into the room. Will offered to help again in which Rachel obliged. His task was to slice the potatoes and make the salad, where Quinn and Kurt helped by cutting the bread. Santana agreed to set the table and soon all were eating and talking among themselves.
"So, Rachel, have you thought of a song to sing for the showcase?" Kurt asked as he placed his napkin on the table, signifying he was done eating.
"Not yet. There are so many options though. Barbra, Celine, Whitney," Rachel explained.
"I know you'll pick the right song, but you should think of choosing one soon. Isn't the show case just next week?" Kurt asked.
"In a week and a half, right before winter break," Rachel explained. The showcase was just a week before Christmas and it would be her last big final of the semester. She was anxious but excited that she was chosen out of all the freshman class. It was truly an honor.
"Well we will be there and we'll have to invite all the old New Directions too," Will suggested.
"That would be great. I wish you could make it though, Quinn," Rachel said with a frown. Quinn stated earlier that she had finals that week and was unsure if she would be able attend.
"If my finals end early, I will come for sure," Quinn said with a smile, making Rachel smile in return. "It's a deal," Rachel said while Quinn nodded back in agreement.
"So who wants dessert?" Rachel asked as silence began to creep into the room as the others stared back at the exchange. "I do," Kurt said as he stood up, helping grab bowls from the cupboards for ice cream.
Rachel smiled as he stood up to help her and soon they were all eating ice cream and once again talking amongst themselves. Once they were completely done with dinner, they moved to the living room to watch a movie but all were tired and were having a hard time staying awake.
"I think I'm going to call it a night," Will said with a yawn half way through Moulin Rouge.
"Me too," Santana replied. "And me," Quinn said as she stood up to stretch.
"Okay, we can finish it in the morning if we have time," Rachel said with a smile while Santana rolled her eyes. "Good night everyone," Kurt said as he stood up and stretched as well. Their couch was comfy but not for long periods of time.
"Night," Will said as he followed Rachel back to her bedroom while Kurt went to his room while Santana and Quinn shared the living room.
"Did you and Kurt have a nice time today?" Rachel asked quietly as she slipped on her pajamas.
"Yeah, it was nice to see his office. Vogue is a pretty big company," Will said as he put on his pajamas as well.
"What about you and Quinn? Did you get your girl talk in?" Will asked while Rachel nodded.
"We did. It's nice to have someone around who has been through this," Rachel pointed out. Where she and Quinn hardly got along during high school, Rachel now considered her a good friend and someone she could talk to if she needed help.
"Good, I'm sure Quinn had a lot of tips to give you," Will commented.
"She did and I'm going to remember all of them," Rachel replied with a smile as she climbed into her side of the bed. Will climbed in as well before turning the bedside lamp off.
"Good night, Will," Rachel said as she rolled over and placed a kiss to his arm.
"Night, Rachel," Will replied as he felt her lips against his skin. It made him smile in which made him feel guilty for telling Kurt that he wasn't happy earlier. He was happy but it was a different happy. He was still getting used to the idea of kissing Rachel without feeling guilty about it and was starting to feel more comfortable with others thinking they were a couple. It just made him feel different that his life was changing and he couldn't do anything about it. McKinley and Lima were becoming distant memories while New York was becoming his future.
As Will continued to think, his eyes became heavy and soon he was off to sleep. The night continued to progress into morning, but Rachel found herself awake early as her stomach churned uncomfortably. She slowly sat up right and glanced at the clock. It was six am and where she would have normally been awake on a week day, on the weekend she still would have been asleep.
Rachel continued to sit up right for a few seconds to see if the uncomfortable feeling would pass but after a few minutes, the feeling became worse with her gag reflex kicking in and she quickly made her way to the toilet.
Once in the bathroom, she quickly shut the door before hunching over the lid to let her stomach throw up. She held onto the sides of the bowl with both hands as tears began to trickle out of her eyes as she felt the uncomfortable burn. Her mouth turned to an unfavorable taste as well that made her desperately want to brush her teeth.
However, after a gut wrenching couple of minutes, her body was finally slowing down. Standing on her shaky legs, Rachel went to the sink and washed her hands as well as her mouth out with toothpaste.
When she was done, she slipped back into the bed, hoping not to wake Will.
"Are you okay?" Will asked as he rolled over, eyes still closed. Rachel took in his form and couldn't help but smile. She thought he looked adorable in the morning.
"I'm fine, just a bit of morning sickness," Rachel replied quietly.
"Do you want me to make you some tea or something?" Will asked as he still kept his eyes closed. He was willing to get up if Rachel wanted something but truthfully, he was still tired and not ready to get up yet.
"I'm okay, maybe a little later though when the others get up," Rachel said with a yawn, still feeling tired herself.
"Okay," Will said as he rolled back over. Rachel remembered the time and closed her eyes again as well. It was still early and since Quinn's train did not leave till noon, they could still get a couple of hours of some much needed sleep.
A few hours later around nine, Will finally woke up. He rubbed his eyes and stretched as he got up out of the bed. He found Rachel's spot empty and wandered out to the kitchen to find her making tea with Kurt and Quinn.
"Hi," Will said as he took a seat at the table.
"Hi," all replied as Rachel sat down. "Would you like some tea? There's still some hot water on the stove," Rachel said as she pointed towards the hot water pot on the stove.
"Tea would be great, thanks," Will said as he sat down at the table. Rachel smiled and pulled down another cup from the cabinet, filling it with hot water in the process. In a couple of minutes, she placed the cup in front of Will and took a chair next to him.
The group sipped on their drinks quietly, all still slightly sleepy.
"How are your studies, Quinn?" Will asked as he hadn't really heard anything about Yale from her yet.
"It's great. I'm just doing a general studies degree right now but I'm in the drama department as well as photography club. No glee club though or cheerleading," Quinn added with a smile. While she loved both activities, she decided that once she got to college to try new things and expand her interests.
"That's great. What do you think you might major in?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, maybe phycology or something in the arts. I haven't really made my mind up yet," Quinn replied.
"I'm proud of you, Quinn, all of you. You guys have come so far and even though some of your dreams are a little different now, you're making it work," Will said as he glanced over to Rachel with a smile. Despite everything, she was still trying to make Broadway a reality.
"We have you to thank," Rachel said in return. "Without you, we wouldn't have had someone to believe in us," she added.
"Or to help guide us," Kurt added with a smile.
"Why is everyone always up so early?" Santana interrupted as she rolled out from the living room, a slight, angry look on her face as she stretched her arms.
"It's nine thirty, Santana," Kurt said as he glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. Santana just rolled her eyes at him in response. "We have to be up early anyways to take Quinn to the train station," Rachel added.
"That's still two and half hours from now," Santana replied as she took a seat at the table. "Well no one told you that you had to get up," Kurt commented in return. "It's hard to sleep when you are all in here chatting away," Santana replied as she ran a hand through her hair.
"Well get used to it because we are always up early here," Rachel said with a smirk as Santana slightly glared. She was not a morning person.
"Anyways, we should probably all get ready as we do have to catch a cab to the station and there could be a wait line or something with the train," Rachel said as she glanced at the clock again, double checking the time.
"I just sat down," Santana complained.
"Well you don't have to but I am because I want to take a shower," Rachel said as she stood up and placed her cup into the sink.
"I'll take one after," Quinn replied as Rachel began to walk back to the bathroom. She nodded at her request and then disappeared behind the curtain leaving the three still in the kitchen.
"So are you taking her out tonight?" Quinn asked as Will finished off his tea. He was a little surprised at her question, but nonetheless answered.
"I was planning to but I don't know. Today's kind of a busy day," Will replied as he hadn't really figured out what time or what to bring for their date.
"You have to take her out," Quinn stated, concern on her face. Will stared back a bit perplexed at her sternness.
"She thinks that you two may not work out as a couple and if you change your mind about your date, she will think you don't want to be more official," Quinn explained as she took in Will's look of confusion.
"She told you that?" Will asked, surprised. "Yes, today at the park," Quinn confirmed as she crossed her arms over her chest, a defensive demeanor taking over. Will sighed before speaking.
"It's not that I don't want to take her out, I just don't know if I can get everything ready for it to be tonight," Will explained as Kurt stared at him, a slight look of disappointment on his face. Will tried to avoid his eyes though because he knew Kurt was angry as he helped plan the date.
"Well you better think of something. If you didn't tell Rachel when your date was going to be, I guess you can put it off for a few more days, but she will be expecting it soon," Quinn explained as she stood up to put her mug in the sink before making her way back to Kurt's bedroom.
Will sat back in silence as Kurt got up as well, leaving Santana still at the table with him. Her head was flat against the table though and her eyes were closed giving Will the impression that she was trying to go back to sleep. Will ignored her though and remained silent as he thought about what Quinn had told him. He recalled not telling Rachel when the date was but only that he would plan it all. He just needed more time to make everything truly special.
After about ten minutes of just thinking, Will figured out the perfect day for their date. Rachel was performing in the showcase in a week and a half and Will decided that the best time to plan their date would be within that week. He figured their date would either give her confidence about the performance if it were a day before or be a celebration of her performance if the date was after.
Will smiled to himself as he figured out his plan and got up to place his mug in the sink as well. He walked back into Rachel's bedroom to pull out some clothes for the day. Deciding against a shower, as he took one the day before, he slipped on his jeans and a blue sweater. The air looked chilly outside of Rachel's window and he knew that it was going to be another cold day in the city.
With this thought, Will silently scoffed to himself. It was winter and he was planning on taking Rachel to have a picnic on a boat in the river. As it was always chilly in New York during this time, he wouldn't be surprised if the river had frozen over. He shook his head as he held a look of stupidity. He would have to find something else for them to do that didn't involve water.
"What's wrong?" Rachel asked as she walked out of the bathroom with her robe on.
"Oh nothing," Will replied quickly. "I, I'm just wondering if I brought enough winter clothes is all. It looks rather chilly out," he added while Rachel looked at his drawer full of clothes.
"Well we can always buy more if you need, but yes, it is getting colder. I wouldn't be surprised if it started to snow soon," Rachel said as she took in the grey clouds. Will smiled and nodded while his head was telling him how stupid he was.
"I just need to do my hair and then we should be good to leave soon," Rachel said as she pulled out her blow dryer. Will nodded and walked pasted her to the kitchen, still a bit angry with himself.
"What's the matter?" Kurt asked as Will took a seat at the kitchen table. "It's winter," Will simply said while Kurt nodded.
"It is December," Kurt commented. "Kurt, you were the one that thought of a boat ride," Will said quietly. It took a minute for Kurt to realize what he was refereeing to, but when it did, his face fell.
"Oh, I get. Sorry, I guess I didn't realize," Kurt said a look of sadness while Will shook his head in understanding. "I guess you'll have to think of something else."
"I know but what?" Will asked, but Kurt shook his head, unsure.
"I don't know but something special, remember?" Kurt stated while Will shook his head in agreement.
"I know," Will replied but stopped as Quinn and Santana walked out of Kurt's room. They joined them at the table where Rachel walked out about five minutes later.
Once they were all set, Rachel led the group down to the street to catch a cab big enough to fit them all and Quinn's luggage. The train station wasn't too far away, so luckily, they didn't have to be uncomfortable for a long period of time.
As the cab pulled up to the station, Will pulled out his wallet and paid the cab driver. When they were all out of the cab, the hugs began to start as Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn. After Rachel, Santana took her turn followed by Kurt and then finally Will.
"Thank you for letting me visit," Quinn said once they were done.
"Anytime, Quinn," Rachel replied while Kurt nodded in agreement. "We'll try to visit you soon too. Maybe around New Years?" Rachel suggested as Quinn nodded in return.
"That would be great. We'll keep in touch," she said as her train was announced to pull into the station within the next few minutes.
"Have a safe journey back," Will said as Quinn picked up her luggage, adjusting it to her grip so she could hold onto it. "I will," she returned with a smile in which Will gave one of his own.
"Bye," she said as the train doors opened, the other passengers walking out before letting the new ones in. Once it was clear for the new passengers, Quinn walked on with the other boarding passengers.
"Bye," they all replied in unison, waving to her as she found a seat by the window. She waved back as she became situated in her seat. It was another five minutes before the train announced it was closing its doors. Rachel stood with the others as they watched Quinn fix her hair in a makeup compact as the train began to whistle, signifying it was about to leave.
The wheels started turning and the engine was running loud. Quinn looked out the window one last time and waved back at everyone still staring at her. They waved back again and mouthed good-bye as her train finally started moving out of the station.