A/N: Okay, so just so everybody knows, Willow is 10. She may sound a bit younger. I used my ten year old cousin and a ten year old little sister as templates for her speech patterns, but one of them is sort of young in her speech pattern, so if she sounds younger, I'm sorry. She is ten years old, though. R&R loved as always and after this, it should start to get juicier. ;) -Tayma
ALSO: Expect an update to Streetlights within the next couple of days and then One Condition hopefully this weekend.
Chapter 2: All This and Heaven, Too
"Mom, you look really pretty."
Willow sat on the toilet seat lid, watching as her mother put on her make up. She smiled up at her widely as their eyes met, amber falling on hazel.
"Thank you, baby girl. You look pretty, too. Are you excited?" Emma glanced back towards the mirror, finalizing her mascara before moving to pick up Willow, sitting her on the counter so she could fix her hair.
"Yeah, I think so. I'm a little bit scared." Her little voice was a whisper as she looked at her mother in the mirror, her feet resting in the sink, her chin resting on her knees as Emma combed through the back of her daughter's messy curls.
"What are you afraid of, Wills?" Emma grabbed a bottle of detangling spray, spritzing it in Willow's hair before combing through it again. She grabbed a couple of pins and separated the top layer of Willow's hair, braiding it into two braids to secure at the back.
"I don't know. What if he doesn't like me?"
"Honey, that's impossible. You're his daughter, and more than that, you're an amazing kid. You're smart and funny and you're the most beautiful little girl I've ever seen…" Emma secured the two braids together, resting her hands on Willow's shoulders, pressing their cheeks together and looking at her daughter in the mirror. "He's going to love you. Just like I do."
Willow seemed to chew this over for a moment, her eyes meeting her mother's momentarily before looking down at her lap.
"Because he has to? What if he doesn't want to? He hasn't loved me my whole life." Willow was mature for her age, and she always put on a brave face for her mother, but even though she begged to meet her father, she was extremely afraid to do so. She worried he would only want to be near her because he has to because that's what dads do. He wasn't around for the rest of her life, and even though Emma repeatedly promised that it had nothing to do with her, Willow always wondered if maybe that was just one of those things mommies say to make their kids happy.
"Now you listen to me, Willow Jane." Emma said, turning Willow around. She was so tiny for her age, very petite. Her little legs dangled over the edge of the counter and Emma looked her in the eyes, holding Willow's face in her hands gently. "He wants to, and if he didn't, he wouldn't be coming to dinner. I've known your daddy since I was the same age as you, and I promise you that I know this is what he wants, okay?"
"Okay…" Willow mumbled, swallowing.
"If it makes you feel any better, you can ask him, Willow. He doesn't lie to people. Your daddy is a really, really nice man." Emma smiled and kissed Willow's nose, earning a smile in return. She scooped her up and carried her to her room, groaning. "Oh, my wittle Willow's growing up! She's such a big girl. Whatever is Mommy to do?"
"You could put me down!" Willow giggled, squirming in Emma's arms before being placed on the ground.
"Alright, Miss Britches, what on Earth do you feel like wearing tonight?"
The two girls walked over to Willow's closet, looking through the color-coordinated clothes, hanging all in a row. Emma worried about Willow, who insisted her clothes be hung in specific order: by color, then by sleeve-length. Raising her, Emma tried not to let her OCD control everything, but the older Willow got, the more she began exhibiting signs of the disorder. She wasn't as severe as Emma, but she was still particular enough that it had Emma keeping a close eye on her habits. Whether she was or wasn't OCD didn't matter to Emma; she just wanted to make sure to help her the way that she should be.
"Uhm…I like green!"
"Green it is. Oh, that'll be perfect, too, it'll make your eyes pop." Emma reached for a green jumper dress and pulled out a pair of black ballet flats and a black turtle-neck top. She set them out for Willow, waiting to help her zip up the back of the dress. They were silent as Willow dressed, Emma crouching to zip her daughter's dress before they headed to the living room to sit down and wait for Will to arrive.
"Hey, Mommy?" Willow asked, once they were settled on the couch, Emma watching Willow fondly as her daughter started to color in a coloring book. Willow looked up to see her mother watching her and took that as a signal to continue on. "Do…do you, uhm, do you think he'd be mad if I called him 'Dad'?"
Emma's head shook and she leaned forward to kiss Willow's head. "I think he would love it if you called him dad. But you don't have to, Wills. He won't be mad if you call him Will, either." She didn't want to put too much pressure on Willow to call him one or the other. Whichever she felt comfortable with, Emma would support, and she knew Will would, also.
"I know, but I want to." Willow smiled at her mother, her face turning to a look of surprise, excitement, and nerves as the doorbell rang.
Standing, Emma straightened her dress and looked at Willow excitedly, trying to hide the nerves on her own face. "He's here. You ready, Wills?" Willow nodded and Emma moved forward towards the door, Willow following closely behind, hiding behind her mother.
Emma opened the door and a smile spread across her face, her eyes falling to Will. He stood before her, curly hair perfectly mussed, wearing a vest and a white button down paired with a pair of dark denim jeans. He smiled his crooked smile and held out some flowers.
"Hi, Will. Come on in." Emma said, sidestepping to allow him in and biting back a laugh, feeling Willow hiding behind her. It was something she only did when she was really nervous, and she was small enough to still get away with doing so.
"These are for you and Willow." Will handed the flowers to Emma, watching her close the door.
"Thank you. They're beautiful." Emma took the flowers and smelled them before setting them on the table by the door. "Willow's suddenly six and being a little shy." She said, pointing behind her. She turned a little bit and placed a hand on the top of Willow's head. "You nervous?" she asked, feeling a little nod. "Do you need a minute?" She felt another nod and looked at Will apologetically. "I'm sorry. She's excited, she really is. She's just nervous."
"Take your time. I'll, uhm, I'll…"
"Why don't you head straight through to the living room and we'll be in in just a moment."
"Right. Okay, I'll do that." Will sent her a smile again before walking through to the living room, rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans. Damn, he was nervous.
Emma waited a moment before turning around, crouching before Willow and kissing her nose. The little girl remained quiet and Emma frowned a little bit, reaching up to stroke her cheek. "What's the matter, baby girl? Did you change your mind? It's okay if you did, he'll understand."
Willow shook her head.
"Are you feeling sick?"
Another head shake?
"What's wrong?"
"I'll sound like a little kid for being scared."
Emma laughed. "Willow, you are a little kid."
Willow looked at her mother, indignation written all over her face. "I am not a little kid!"
"You're right. I'm sorry, honey. You won't sound like a little kid. It's okay to be scared. Do you remember why it's okay?"
"Because I'm allowed to feel how I feel and nobody can say that it's wrong 'cuz it's not, 'cuz you're a counselor and you say my feelings are just fine."
Emma smiled and nodded. "Exactly. And has your mother ever lied to you? Ever?"
"I don't know." Willow said, giggling.
Emma shook Willow's shoulders playfully. "Yes you do know, silly girl. I've never lied to you. So I'm not lying to you now when I say it's okay to be scared, but there's nothing scary in there. Except his vests, but that is a whole other story."
Willow giggled and nodded, wrapping her arms around Emma's neck and hugging her tightly. "I love you, Mommy." She whispered into Emma's hear, burying her face in her mother's neck.
"I love you, too, honey." Emma hugged her back gently, kissing the side of her head. "So do you want to go meet your daddy? Really meet him and not just see him in a car?"
"Yes!" Willow squealed, stepping back and taking Emma's hand. Emma smiled, taking Willow's hand in hers and leading her into the living room, taking a deep breath.
"Will, this is Willow." Emma said, gesturing between them and looking down at their daughter.
Will's eyes fell on Willow and his breathing caught in his chest. Willow looked almost identical to Emma. She had ginger hair and big, doe eyes that already had Will's heart melting. She was just as petite in stature, but her hair was a mess of curls, just like his own, and her eyes were his exact shade of hazel. He took a moment to breathe again, trying not to let his eyes well up. His daughter was beautiful. "Emma, she's beautiful." He said, biting his lip and taking a step closer. He kneeled down in front of Willow with a soft smile on his face. "Hi, Willow. I'm Will." He said, his hazel eyes locking with hers.
Willow shook her head. "Dad." She corrected him, looking between her mother and Will before her eyes settled on her father. "You're my dad." She said, giving him a small smile. The three fell silent, Will trying not to cry at his new identifier, Emma trying not to cry because of the joy on Will's face. Willow looked up at her mother after a moment and tugged on her shirt, beckoning her down to her level.
"Mommy, can I hug him?" She whispered in Emma's ear, causing Emma to laugh and nod.
"Yep. I think he'd like that." Emma whispered back, patting Willow's back.
Willow looked at her newest parent and swallowed before stepping forward and hugging him gently, her petite arms wrapping around his neck and squeezing gently. Will wrapped his arms around her gently, hugging her close and pressing a small kiss to the side of her head, his tears overflowing. He sniffled as the little girl pulled away and he looked confused, seeing that she was crying, too. Will looked up at Emma, wondering if he did something wrong before glancing back at Willow. "You okay, kiddo?" He asked, wiping her tears with his thumbs.
Willow nodded. "I just never had a dad before."
Will let out a laugh and smiled at her, shaking his head. "I've never had a Willow before, either." It earned him a smile from his daughter and he sighed, wiping his own cheeks.
Emma coughed out a laugh, drying her own tears, sniffling a bit. "Well, should we go eat dinner?" She asked, running a hand over Willow's head gently.
Both Will and Willow nodded and Emma smiled, leading them both to the kitchen. "So I want to warn you about dinner. My idea was that we make my famous lemon pepper chicken with pasta and a salad. However, the lovely Miss Willow begged for PB&J sandwiches instead, insisting that they are better and that you'd probably like them more. As a mom, I'm kinda known for my sandwiches."
"They're the bestest!" Willow said, looking up at Will, a wide smile on her face.
"I remember. Your mother used to make them for me when we were smaller." Will smiled and they all sat down, Emma setting out sandwiches for everyone before sitting down herself. They were all just about to start eating when Willow gasped loudly yelling, "WAIT!"
Willow hopped out of her chair, running to a cupboard and pulling out a giant bottle of sanitizer. "We almost forgot! Clean hands!" She squirted some on her hands, then Emma's, who held her hands open before turning to Will. "Clean hands, Dad! Germs are everywhere!"
Oh yeah. There was that, too. Not just the organization that gave Willow a panic attack if it wasn't done properly. She was also afraid of contamination, just like Emma. Emma looked to Will apologetically as he held out his hands, all of them beginning to rub the solution in.
"Clean hands are important, yes!" Will smiled widely at Willow; his heart was swelling at her calling him 'dad' so easily.
They all began eating in silence after that, each of them unsure of what to say or do. Eventually, Will broke the silence after finishing about half of his sandwich.
"Good call on the sandwiches, Willow. Way better than chicken and vegetables."
Willow giggled, turning to look at Emma. "See, Mommy! I told you! He likes it better than your chicken, and I like it better than salad." Willow made a face, causing both of her parents to laugh.
"Alright, Wills. You win, which means you get to pick dessert."
Willow fist-pumped and turned to her dad, taking a drink of water. "Do you like cookies, Dad?" She placed her glass of water down, sitting up on her chair. "Because I love cookies and they are my favorite. That's what I always pick for dessert even though Mommy always picks gummy dinosaurs."
"I love cookies." Will said, dusting off his hands. "They're my favorite food and I always eat chocolate chip ones in the purple bag."
Willow squealed and practically jumped out of her seat. "THOSE ARE MY FAVORITE, TOO!"
Emma laughed and placed a hand on Willow's shoulder. "Wills, he's two feet away from you. You don't have to yell, baby."
"Sorry."
"It's okay, honey. Hey, why don't you take Will and play for a bit while I clean up the kitchen and then we'll all have cookies, okay?"
Willow nodded and hopped up, all shyness gone after learning they shared the same affinity for the purple-packaged cookies. Will stood as well, offering Emma a smile before allowing Willow to lead him out of the kitchen.
"Hey Dad, do you wanna see my room? It's nice and clean!" Emma laughed a little and started clearing the table, hearing Will reply "I'd love to."
Emma cleaned the kitchen quickly and thoroughly, heading towards Willow's room a half an hour later, smiling as she heard Willow yapping away.
"Yeah, I just really like ladybugs. They're not scary bugs and they're just so cute!" She was explaining why her room was covered in ladybugs; it was one of her favorite discussion topics. She'd picked the theme when she was seven and still loved it more than anything in the world.
"I agree. They're pretty adorable. I like their polka spots on their shells. And they tickle when they crawl on your hands."
Willow giggled. "I dreamed I was a ladybug one time."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, I didn't really like being one, though."
"Why not?"
"Because when I would scurry around, my hands were always on the floor. That's just icky."
Emma peaked into the room, seeing the two of them sitting at a little table in the corner of Willow's room, each of them with a coloring book in front of them, coloring away. She crept past the door and sat against the wall in the hallway, continuing to listen. They'd fallen quiet, but she didn't want to interrupt their bonding time just yet.
"I'm named after you, you know." Willow piped up after a minute. Emma could hear her hand fishing for a new crayon in her giant bucket.
"I've heard. You're Willow Jane and I'm William James."
"Yup. And I'm Wills and you're Will. I think it's funny."
"Why is that?"
"Well, all the girls at school have pretty names and all the boys are named after their dads. I got a pretty name and I'm named after my dad. It's just funny."
Will chuckled slightly. "That is pretty funny. Do you like it?"
There was silence, which Emma took as a nod. Willow loved her name and when she was eight she insisted on only being called Willow Jane because she thought it was beautiful. After a few more minutes, Emma stood up, walking into the room.
"Are we having fun?"
"Yes!" They both said, each of them looking at Emma and laughing a bit.
"That's great. Hey, Willow, so it's getting kinda late, baby girl. Grandma and Grandpa are coming in the morning, remember?"
Willow sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I remember. Cookies, teeth, bed?"
Emma smiled. "Yes, cookies, teeth, bed."
"Does Dad have to leave?"
"Dad can leave whenever he's ready to." Emma said, smiling at Will. "But I know he won't leave before cookies, since they're both your favorites. So put your jamas on, ladybug, and then you can come have some cookies, okay?" She leaned over and kissed Willow's head gently as the little girl nodded. Emma leaned to unzip the back zipper before walking out of the room with Will, heading towards the kitchen. They entered the quiet room, Emma getting the cookies down and putting a few on a plate.
"She seems to be taking a liking to you."
Will nodded. "She does. She's beautiful, Emma, and so well behaved. You've done really well with her, honest."
"Thank you. She's beautiful because of you, you know. You're responsible for those curls and that crooked smile." Emma smiled, looking up at him. "You're being really great with her right now."
"It's easy, you know? She's a great kid."
Emma grinned widely as Willow ran into the kitchen, stopping their conversation. "I am ready for the best part of the day!" Willow exclaimed, scrambling up to sit on a stool by the counter. Emma handed her three cookies and some water, laughing a little bit.
"I thought Willow-Mommy breakfast muffins were the best part of the day." She said, handing Will some cookies, too, nibbling on her own.
"I think all parts of the day are the best part of the day." Willow took a bite of her cookie. "Nope. Cookie time is the best part."
Will laughed, nodding. "I agree with Willow. Cookies are always best."
Half an hour later, cookies were eaten and coffee was made. Will nursed a hot cup while he sat on the couch. Willow had just come to him to tell him goodnight, giving him another hug. He smiled to himself, looking into the hot cup of liquid, his mind wandering. He couldn't believe he had a daughter – a daughter with Emma nonetheless, and a perfect one at that. She was beautiful; he couldn't just get over it.
As he pondered Emma took Willow to her room, kissing her forehead and saying their prayers on their knees before helping her into bed, tucking her in tightly. Emma leaned to kiss her cheek and looked down at her, smoothing her hair back.
"Did you have a good time tonight, Willow?" Emma asked, still smoothing Willow's hair away from her face.
Willow nodded, looking up at her mother. "Yeah. I love having a dad."
Emma laughed. "You think so, bug?"
"Mhm! He likes to color and he likes all the same things I do. Can he come see me again?"
"Sure. I'm sure he'd love to come see you again." Emma kissed Willow's forehead. "Now go to sleep, okay? We'll get up early and have our special Sunday breakfast before your grandparents get here, alright?"
"Can Dad come?" The young girl yawned, her eyes starting to droop. Now that she had a dad, she wasn't about to let him go away forever again. She wanted him around always.
"I'll ask him. I love you with all of my heart, Willow Jane." Emma stood and moved to switch on the nightlight.
"I love you more, Mommy Emma."
Emma laughed, walking out of the room and closing the door. She sighed and walked down the hallway, heading towards the living room.
"Hi." She walked over and sat next to Will, picking up her own cup of coffee from a coaster on the coffee table.
"Hey."
"She says she loves having a dad."
Will chuckled and sipped his coffee. "That's sweet. She's…God, Emma. I can't stop saying it. She's beautiful. I…I wish I knew her all this time. I want so badly to stay in her life."
"You absolutely can, Will. I'm not going to keep you from that anymore. You have every right to see your daughter. We'll have to hammer out times and everything to fit her schedule, but you can absolutely stay in her life if you want to – and even if you don't, I don't think she'd let you out again." Emma sipped her own coffee, looking at him. "She does have your last name."
"She…does?"
"Yes. When she was born I had Pillsbury put on her birth certificate, but after we moved to New York, I decided to give her the last name that's rightfully hers. Willow Jane Schuester."
"Somehow, Emma, even though it's terrible being lied to and it hurts like nothing else…you've managed to make it okay. You named her after me, you raised her well, you seem to have done so well for yourself…you make it okay. I can't even be fully angry with you. Just disappointed."
Emma sighed. "I had to make it okay. I knew some time would come where she'd want to find you, whether it was up to me or not, and I wanted you to love her and be proud of her. I wanted you to look at her and say 'That's my daughter. I helped create her.' I had to make everything good."
"Well you did."
"Well thank you." Emma smiled and took a drink of coffee. "Listen, tomorrow morning, I'm making waffles with fruit and homemade syrup, and eggs…it's our Sunday morning tradition since I became a student. I couldn't always spend all the time with her, but we made sure to spend time together Sunday mornings. Would, uhm, would you like to join us? Willow asked before she went to sleep."
Will shook his head, holding up a hand. "Thanks, but I don't want to intrude. If that's your thing with her, I don't want to take time away from you two."
Emma let out a laugh and looked at him. "Nonsense. Come. I've spent time with her for her whole life. You're new and she's so thrilled to have you in her life, Will. Please come."
"Okay. I'll come." Will nodded and watched Emma as she smiled and took a sip of coffee. He watched her tongue dart out and mop away the moisture on her lips from it, tucking her tongue back away as her lower lip became caught in her teeth. "You're beautiful, too, Emma."
She blushed deeply, looking down at her cup. "Thanks. That's sweet, but you…thanks." She cleared her throat and took another gulp of coffee, looking up at him through her eyelashes.
"I'm serious, Emma. Just as beautiful as you were at the beach all those years ago." Will set his coffee down on a coaster, shifting to take her coffee and set it on a coaster. He took her hands in his, squeezing them gently, looking into her eyes. "Do you ever regret it?"
Emma looked at Will, her breath caught in her throat. How had this taken such a swift turn? Was he reading her mind? Did he know she still carried a tiny torch for him? She bit her lip harder and cleared her throat, shaking her head.
"N-no. Never." She whispered, looking into his eyes. "She's my entire world. I wouldn't trade her for anything."
Will nodded, looking at her. "Would you regret it if you didn't get our daughter out of it?"
Emma's head shook again. "No. Will, I loved you, even when you loved someone else. I wanted that night; I needed it. I needed to at least imagine that someone loved me like that before I went away."
"And?" Will asked, hoping he'd given her what he needed.
"And nine months later, I got the most beautiful, unconditional love in the world. You gave me more than what I needed."
Will gave her a small smile, which she returned with a whispered, "Thank you."
They gazed at each other for a moment before Emma swallowed, sitting up more. "So tomorrow morning? Breakfast? We're usually up around seven-thirty, breakfast around eight-thirty."
Will's head nodded and he smiled. "I'd love to. I'll pick up coffees on the way and a hot chocolate for Willow, if that's okay?"
"It's perfect."
They stood, Emma following Will to the front door and opening it.
"Thank you so much, Emma, for letting me meet her. It's truly a blessing to be given that opportunity."
"You're welcome, Will. Now please, stop thanking me. She's your daughter; it just took me ten years to grow a pair and tell you."
Will laughed. "Grow a pair. Beautiful. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Em."
"See you."
Will leaned down and kissed the corner of Emma's lips gently before dashing out of the door and heading to his car, hoping in and heading away. Emma watched him leave, closing the door and locking it. She grabbed their cups from the coffee table, taking them to the sink and washing them before putting them away, turning off all of the lights and heading to her room.
Emma changed for bed quickly washing her face and brushing her teeth before settling into bed. She looked at the clock, realizing it was already almost midnight. She sighed, sinking into the pillows, but not really tired. She turned on the television, turning it to an old movie, smiling when she saw that Meet Me in St. Louis was playing. Judy Garland was by far one of her favourite actresses, and this movie was brilliant. She closed her eyes, listening to everything that was happening, zoning in and out every so often, thinking of her own thoughts.
Tonight was a good move, she decided. Telling Will was the right thing to do, and he deserved to know. If he really wanted to be in Willow's life, she wouldn't stop him. Her mind kept going to their moment on the couch, the way he'd leaned into her, the way he gazed into her eyes. She thought for sure they would kiss, maybe reignite whatever they attempted to extinguish on the beach when she was eighteen. Maybe there's still hope, she thought, Maybe I can get Willow her dad and get those ten years back for Will and I at the same time.
"Ugh, Emma. Don't be selfish." She said out loud, tossing over. "But I'm not being selfish. He's the reason I haven't dated in ten years; he's the one I want." She sighed. "Ugh, but Willow. Willow comes first. This is about Willow, Emma. Focus on her and then if you and Will are meant to become a solid part of the equation, then it will happen." She tossed once more. "You know you're crazy, right?"
Emma laughed, sitting up and turning off the television. "WHAT IS MY LIFE?" She asked out loud, shaking her head and closing her eyes as she laid back down, in disbelief that she actually held a conversation with herself. If that wasn't proof that she was tired, she had no idea what was. The last thing she remembered thinking before drifting off was how happy she was that Willow now had her dad.
DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Glee, Emma or Will.
Willow Jane Schuester is still mine (: