A/N: Hopefully, you hate Terri, because if not, you'll probably hate me after this chapter. I understand that she may be a bit...well...crazy, but she had to be in order to keep Emma silent for five years. That being said, enjoy! R&R loved forever! -Tayma

Chapter 6: Hypothetically Speaking

"M-mom?" Emma was sitting on her bed in tears, phone in hand as she stared at herself in the mirror. Columbia was great so far, but so stressful. She was having a hard time keeping up with everything and she ended up calling her mother every night before she went to bed. They were always the same. How are you? How's school? How's dad? I'm okay. Glad you guys are okay, too. I love you both and miss you. Goodnight. This phone call would be different.

"Yes, who's this?" Rose asked, into the phone. Emma laughed a little bit; she and Ginnifer sounded nothing alike and yet her mom always needed clarification.

"It's Emma."

"Oh, hi, honey! How's everything going?"

Emma pressed her lips together, trying to stop her tears from coming heavier. She made a tiny squeal in her throat before letting out a tiny sob, sniffling and shaking her head.

"Emma, is everything okay?"

"N-no…I've me-essed up, Mom. B-big time." She got up and reached for tissues, dabbing her eyes, but it was no use. She was just so scared, and this couldn't be undone.

"Honey, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

It was a few minutes before Emma could talk again. The thought of telling her mother something so serious terrified her and it caused her to go into hysterical crying. The whole time, Rose was patient on the other end of the line, promising her that it couldn't be as bad as she was making it out to be and that no matter what, Rose would attempt to help her fix whatever she'd messed up. Emma knew this couldn't be fixed. When she'd finally composed herself enough to talk without crying, Emma took a deep breath.

"W-well, remember how I, uhm, I went to California with Will? And when I got back, I told you how it was like Will and I were together and he was so sweet and it made me even more jealous of Terri? And you said that it was right of me to not pressure him to leave Terri?"

Rose nodded, listening to her daughter. "Yes, I remember. I still think that was a good decision, Emma. You don't want your best friend hating you over a broken relationship."

"Oh, just wait for it, Mom." Emma swallowed and took a deep breath, pushing on. "So I didn't tell you, though, that he and I were…actually…together…and n-now, I went to the doctor, thinking 'I have the flu,' and…and.." A sob broke through and the floodgates reopened as she tumbled over the rest of her sentence. "I f-find out tha-at I'm alm-most two months pregnant." She blurted it out as quickly as she could, her head dropping into her hand as the tears continued to flow. She felt so stupid and careless. How could they have been so carefree?

Her mother was silent on the other end of the phone for what felt like forever before Emma blurted out. "Say something!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just in shock, Emma. Ginnifer, I expect this from, but not you…" Rose fell silent again before speaking very surely. "You need to come home, and you need to tell William about this. He should help you through this."

Emma's head began to shake back and forth rapidly. "No – no, I can't tell him! He's with Terri and they're engaged, and I'm not – no. Not now. Maybe after I get settled or past that three-month mark, but not now. I can't. It's not what's best for him right now – or for me. I'm already worried, Mom, I'm already freaking out, I vomited more at the thought of something growing inside of me, and I don't even know if I'm going to raise it because I can't be a parent. So no, not now." Emma had been debating it in her head since she left the doctor's office and it was the only proper thing to do in this situation. Before she called her mother, it was the only thing she was sure about.

Emma was jolted from the memory by a knock on the door. She turned off the stove, moving the pan o fried rice to a potholder on the counter. She stirred it once before turning and walking to the front door. She looked at herself in the mirror on the wall, straightening up her hair quickly before opening the front door.

She smiled as she pulled the door open, her eyes falling onto Will. His eyes were slightly red, as though he had been crying. He was wearing his outfit from school and his hair was a bit mussed, looking like he had run his hands through it one too many times. A smile graced his lips at the sight of Emma and he held up a box of cupcakes that he picked up on the way over.

"Hey, Em."

"Will, hi. Come on in." She stepped to the side, letting him into the house, closing the door behind him.

"Brought dessert." He smiled, handing her the box and toeing off his shoes before following her through to the kitchen.

"Aw, you really didn't have to. Thanks, though." She took the box with a smile and set it on the counter before pulling two bowls down from the cabinet. She piled them both with homemade fried rice, handing one to Will with a fork before picking up her own. Emma led him through to the living room, and they sat side-by-side on her couch, holding their bowls in their hands. The television was on from earlier and Top Gun was playing on cable. Both of them trained their eyes onto the television, eating their dinners in silence. Top Gun was one of Emma's favourite movies, and because of that, Will watched it all the time after she moved away when he was missing her. He had this movie memorized.

By the time the movie was over an hour and a half later, Will and Emma had finished eating, and they were completely silent. They had been sharing small glances and smiles throughout the movie, but neither of them had the nerve to strike up the conversation. Will worried it would get too serious, while Emma was clueless and worried about what was to come. They each enjoyed each other's company, and they didn't want to ruin their peaceful moment. Finally, Emma reached forward, setting her bowl on the coffee table before grabbing the remote and shutting the television off.

"So you wanted to talk?" She asked, looking over at Will. She shifted to tuck one leg beneath her bottom as her eyes trained onto his.

"Y-yes." Will nodded, looking at his hands. "I watched the videos of Willow."

"You said so when you called."

"Right." He paused, nodding before finally meeting her gaze. "She was precious. I can't even begin to express the feeling in my stomach when I heard her squeal 'dada' looking at a picture of me. She was an adorable baby."

Emma nodded. "She was. It was inevitable, though, with you as her father. All she had to do was get your smile and she'd be adorable; and she did, so."

"That's not why I came here, though. To talk about Willow."

Emma nodded again, watching him. She wondered what he could be here for, if not to talk about their daughter. Sure, they were still best friends by title, but certainly not by action. Sometimes it felt as though they remained each other's "best friend" as a security blanket. It felt better to know that you had someone there for you to hypothetically confide in for everything. When she remained quiet, Will took a deep breath to continue.

"When I was watching Willow's first birthday, there was this part…you were sitting next to her, explaining how you promised her to tell me she was my daughter, but that you couldn't. You'd mentioned it was my year and a half anniversary with Terri."

She watched him, remembering that moment well. It was the first time she'd ever actually felt like a terrible mother. That night she'd gone to sleep crying because she knew she'd let her daughter down. She'd been granted something so beautiful and perfect, and she'd let her down completely. "That's the first time I let her down, the first time I broke a promise to her. She doesn't even remember it, I know, but I'll always remember that day and feeling like a failure as a mother for it."

Will's brow furrowed as he listened to her, shaking his head. "No, Emma. No. I remember that conversation full well and I know it wasn't your fault. That time it was mine. I just hung up on you."

"I didn't even try calling back!" Emma scoffed, looking at him. It was bothering her that he was blaming himself when she was the one to be blamed for him not knowing his own daughter. "I didn't object when you said you had to go, and I did nothing to try and get you to listen."

They fell silent. Emma had a point. She could have tried harder and each of them was fully aware of that fact. Nothing Will could have said would have made placing all blame on him possible. No matter what happened, Emma would always have primary blame in this situation, whether they wanted that or not.

"Tell me about Terri." Will finally said after a few minutes.

Emma raised her eyebrows at him and nodded. "Okay…Terri Elizabeth Del Monaco was born in Lima, Ohio and thought she was simply the bee's knees. She dated my best friend and she used to have brown hair, but now she dyes it blonde all the ti—"

Will laughed a little bit and looked at her. "Emma."

"William." She smirked.

"The video. Terri. Tell me about it."

Her head shook. "Nope. It's over and done with. All you needed to know is that she played a part in all of this mess."

"No, I want to know, Emma. I just called her and yelled at her about it, so I want to know what I just yelled at her for." He looked at her very seriously, taking a deep breath; he had to know.

"You called and yelled at her?"

He nodded. She thought back to the day Terri called her before nodding. She took a deep breath before looking at him and beginning the story.

Three weeks had passed since Emma sent Will a video requesting that he comply with her – their – daughter's only request for Christmas: her dad. She checked the mail just as eagerly as she answered the phone every day, hoping that each mail delivery would hold a shattered hope, or each phone call would hold an excited compliance. At this point, Emma almost didn't care what the outcome was – she just wanted the waiting anxiously to stop. She was starting to give up hope, and Willow had already figured that Santa would just come for her birthday in May.

Emma was just settling into bed with a book when the phone on her nightstand rang. She jolted up, her hand flying out to grab the device. SCHUESTER, WILL flashed across the caller id and her heart stopped. This was it; he was finally calling to tell her that he wanted to meet their daughter. Emma was frozen, staring at the phone for a few rings, restarting her heart and calming her breathing. Her thumb hovered over the TALK button, shaking slightly before she hit it, holding the phone up to her ear.

"W-will?" She asked silently, biting her lip.

"Guess again, homewrecker."

Emma's heart stopped and her eyes widened. She swallowed and she could feel the colour draining from her face. That wasn't the voice she was expecting at all. She took a few deep breaths before swallowing again and clearing her throat.

"Terri…hi. How, uhm, how…what can I do for you?" She wanted to appear calm, but she could hear her voice shaking.

"You know, Emma, I got the most interesting piece of mail today when Will and I got home from our Christmas vacation in the Bahamas. Yeah, it was a video…from you. Do you know what it was labeled?" The venom in Terri's voice was almost tangible, burning Emma's tongue, making her heart burn as it traveled down.

"F-for Daddy." She breathed the words out.

"For Daddy. Good memory. It's funny, there was a little girl claiming that she's Will's daughter on the tape, and then you giving your own little testimony on her behalf. Isn't that funny?" Terri paused, and when she spoke after Emma's silence, the annoyance in her voice was amplified – if that was even possible. "Emma? Isn't it funny?"

Emma rolled her eyes a bit, nodding. "Yes. Hilarious. Why are you calling me, Terri? That video was mailed to Will, and opening someone else's mail is a criminal offense. This has absolutely nothing to do with you; it has to do with my daughter wanting to know her father. So why are you calling me?"

Terri laughed. "Emma, this has everything to do with me. I was able to overlook Will taking you to California, and I was able to forgive him – out of the goodness of my heart – after he came home and told me he banged a ginger tramp at the beach in California. I married him despite his taste in trash. This, however, cannot be overlooked. I don't want kids."

"Well that's fantastic, Terri, because last I checked, SHE'S NOT YOURS! She's mine and your husbands, so why don't you stay out of this? You've done nothing but make my life hell since we met you freshman year, and I'm sick of it."

"Oh, sweetie. You think I made your life a living hell? Just wait to see what happens if Will finds you about your lovechild."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I don't know what the hell you think you're doing, and I don't care. All I know is that you pretend like you're so great and you're so great for Will, but you're not. You're a tramp who got him to sleep with you in a moment of guilt and desperation, and an accidental child resulted from that. Your daughter is your mistake to deal with, and you're not going to drag my husband down with you. Will and I don't want kids. So. If you're so great, you'd let it go and tell your child that she's not wanted. Not by her 'Auntie Terri' or her father. I'm sending the video back, and you're not to tell Will about her. Got it?"

Emma could feel anger boiling in her stomach as Terri spoke. Terri could talk about her all she wanted to, but you don't tell a mother that her child is a mistake. "First of all, my daughter is not a mistake. She's a miracle and I am a blessed woman to have her in my life. She's perfect, and I have your husband to thank for that. He should get a proper thank you, don't you think? What happens when I tell him? You can't stop me, Terri, and he deserves to know his child."

"If you tell my husband about your little mistake, I will make sure you're sorry, Emma Pillsbury. Willow not having her father will be the least of your pathetic worries. Do I make myself clear?"

"Are…are you threatening me and my daughter?"

"Have a good night, Emma." Her voice was sickly sweet before the line clicked dead and Emma stared at the phone before turning it off.

Will stared at the ground as Emma spoke, in shock. He knew Terri was capable of some messed up things, but threatening Emma and forcing her to keep this from him…that was a whole new level of crazy that he didn't even think was possible for her. He glanced at Emma once she'd been silent for a moment, looking at her with wide eyes. His mouth fell open and he shook his head.

"Emma…I'm…I'm so sorry. I – I can't believe that she did that." He was so sincere in speaking.

Emma shook her head a bit. "Don't be sorry. She had you fooled, but I saw her. I saw her for who she was to me when you weren't looking. You didn't know – how could you? She treated you like you walked on water for her."

"I'd only walk on water for you." Will nodded very seriously before letting out a breath. "God, Emma. What happened after that? What did you tell Willow?"

The next morning, Emma woke up extra early to make blueberry muffins from scratch. They were Willow's favourite thing that Emma made – besides her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches – and Emma would need to rely on them to soften the blow of what she was going to have to tell her daughter .As the muffins came out of the oven, Emma placed them on the counter to cool and busied herself with cleaning, cursing the clock. Why did time always pass faster when you were about to shatter someone's little world?

When Willow walked into the kitchen, she was rubbing her eyes; her ginger curls a bedhead mess. Her footie pajamas were somehow on backwards and Emma laughed, walking over to her.

"Baby girl, I don't know what you do in your sleep, but this happens every morning." She bent over and kissed her little nose sweetly, helping her to get her pajamas on properly. Willow looked up at her mother with a sleepy smile and squinted eyes.

"Mommy, why does it smell like muffins?"

"I made you special muffins this morning."

The little girl perked up, clapping her hands together. "Yay!" She moved to the kitchen table and sat down, watching as her mother put almond butter on muffin halves, plating them and taking them over to the table, placing one in front of Willow and one in front of herself. They ate in silence together for the most part, Willow only interjecting once to tell about a dream she had the previous night about being a ladybug. When they finished, the little girl hopped up to go play with her toys before she had to get dressed, but Emma reached out for her.

"Hey, Willow, can you come here really quickly?"

The little girl nodded and Emma opened up her arms for her daughter. Willow climbed up onto Emma's lap and leaned against her, her ear resting over Emma's heart. Emma's arms folded around her daughter gently and she kissed her head, rocking her for a moment before looking down at her.

"So, Willow? Do you remember what you wanted for Christmas?" She spoke tenderly to her child, knowing she was going to be disappointed.

She nodded, and Emma could hear the smile in her voice. "I asked for Daddy!"

"Well listen, baby girl, I got a call from Santa last night." Emma ran a hand over her daughter's hair gently. "It looks like getting your Christmas present was a lot harder than he thought it would be."

"What do you mean?" Willow looked up at her mother, eyes wide and innocent. Emma's heart broke.

"I mean…that Santa couldn't get you your daddy for Christmas."

Willow thought this over for a moment. "Can he for my birthday?"

Emma's head shook. "He can't for your birthday, either."

Willow's little lip trembled and her eyes pooled with tears. She blinked and one fell over to her cheek. "I don't get my daddy?"

Emma looked down at her daughter and her own eyes filled with tears. She leaned down to kiss the tear away from Willow's cheek. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"She cried for two hours." Emma nodded, looking at him. "She wanted it so badly, and we all thought it would be a guaranteed thing, you wanting to meet her. None of us factored in Terri intercepting the video."

Will did nothing but nod. He had no idea what to say to Emma in response to that story. He hated that he had unknowingly hurt them, thanks to Terri. Then again, he had no idea that Willow existed. He looked at her and took a deep breath.

"I would have come. I would have met her. I would have loved her so much, Emma."

"Don't. Would haves don't do anything but drive you crazy. Trust me, there's a reason I still see a therapist, and it's not just because I need help managing my OCD."

"But I would have, Emma."

"I know, Will."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Will took a breath and sat back, resting his head back against the couch.

"Not just because of Willow, either, but because of you. I did some thinking last night."

"Oh?" Emma curled up on the couch, resting her head on his lap, laughing a bit. She felt like she was sixteen again, resting on Will's lap because he'd run his fingers through her hair. After a few moments, as if reading her mind, Will's hand reached down and he began to rake his fingers through Emma's hair, looking down at her as her eyes drooped closed. She was still the most beautiful person he'd ever seen in his life. He wanted nothing more than to love her and make her feel loved the way he should have been all of this time. He should have been cherishing her, loving her, making her the mother of more of his children, giving her a life she deserved.

It was in that moment, staring down at her, that he realized he still could.

"Yeah. If I hadn't been such a coward, I would have told you to love me as a girlfriend." Will nodded, seeing a smile spread across her lips. "I would have told you that I love you so much it makes my chest hurt because you're so beautiful."

Emma turned her head to look up at him. Her eyes opened and she stared up, locking her eyes with his. "Is this hypothetical?"

"Yes." Will smirked and raked her hair back from her head.

"Hypothetically, then, I would have responded that I love you just as much, and you make me feel complete. Even when we're distanced, you make me feel whole." She smiled up at him.

Will leaned down, his lips hovering over hers for a moment. Her lips parted and her eyes closed, as did his. "And hypothetically," he whispered, "I would have done this." He pressed his lips against hers tenderly and firmly, smiling against her lips a bit as she kissed him back. His fingers raking through her hair tangled in a bit, holding her close to him as her hand came to rest on his neck before he pulled away for air.

Their eyes locked and they each stared at each other, each of them filling their lungs with air. Emma swallowed, hearing nothing but her heart beating madly in her head. Will ran his tongue over his lips, wanting so badly to kiss her again. Emma shifted and sat up, moving to kiss him again, this time a bit more eagerly. He kissed her back readily, his hands resting at her waist.

"Em, this wasn't…the talk…I wanted to have…" he mumbled against her lips, smirking a bit as she pulled away.

"Sorry." She blushed and pulled away from him. "Just…you're a good kisser."

She licked her lips and moved to sit next to him, each of them turning to face each other on the couch. They stared at each other, Will laughing a bit. "So are you. You've improved." He laughed a bit at his joke as Emma swatted him.

"First, that's rude, and second, that's impossible. I haven't kissed anyone in…gosh, years." She shook her head, amazed.

"Years?" Will's eyes widened as he looked at her. "What about…" He raised an eyebrow.

"Not since before Willow."

"But Willow's ten years old, Emma!"

She nodded. "I know."

Will leaned forward with a small smile on his face, pressing is lips to hers. She kissed him back, allowing him to lay her back on the couch. He rested on top of her, trying to hold his weight up so as not to crush her beneath him. As their kisses grew in number and intensity, Will reached down to start unbuttoning Emma's shirt, his lips still working against hers. She pulled away from him, turning her head to the side and he smirked, moving his lips down to her neck, leaving a trail of kisses.

"W-what are you doing?" She asked, catching her breath. She felt him laugh against her skin.

"Hypothetically?" He asked, smirking and dropping another kiss. "What I would have done next."

Emma let out a laugh and a small moan, her eyes closing as he sucked on her pulse point. "Is that smart?"

He nodded, moving back to her lips and looking her in the eyes as he hovered above them. "All the parents are doing it."

Emma smiled and reached up, her hands cupping his cheeks gently, staring into his eyes. "Well in that case…" She laughed as she pulled him back down to her lips, crushing hers against his and kissing him eagerly.

They were just picking up where they left off…

Hypothetically speaking.

A/N 2.0: Just when you thought their relationship couldn't get any more complex...BOOM. ;)

DISCLAIMER: I still only own Willow Jane Schuester and Ginnifer Pillsbury. All the rest are property of RIB/FOX/GLEE.