Rehearsal

He really didn't like seeing that ring on her finger.

And what was worse, Will Schuester didn't like that he wasn't too thrilled that Emma Pillsbury was getting married. At work, they were the closest of friends. They'd catch each other in the hallways and strike up conversations that would have him running late to his own Spanish class. Five days a week, they shared lunch together, discussing Will's song choices for Glee, or the reaction of the kids when they unanimously decided his picked tracks were far too '1999.'

He always had something to say to Emma. Always. It could have been a teasing little joke, or an inquiry as to whether she did something new with her hair that day, something to say always came to mind whenever he saw her. But that sparkling little pebble clenched around her finger seemed to be causing him a continuous mind-block. Just once glance at the thing, and all the words he wanted to say evaporated into the air.

But what was a married man to do? He was brimming on thirty, with a loving wife and a baby on the way. Those things shouldn't have allowed the frown on his face whenever he caught side of Emma's engagement ring. It just didn't make sense.

Perhaps what made even less sense was Emma's reasoning behind accepting Ken's proposal. He could tell they weren't in love - neither of them. Emma just plainly wasn't interested in Ken, despite saying so, despite giving him a chance. And while it may have been true that Ken was quite taken with the guidance counselor, they'd only been dating for what - a month, tops? How could a few weeks of casual romance possibly be a sufficient foundation for a lifetime of togetherness?

These were the thoughts that kept Will's mind at work whenever Glee had proven to be an ill topic of concentration. He would sit and his desk and just wonder how it even came about at all.

Glee rehearsal was over for the day. While Rachel was the only one that had completely perfected their choreography thus far, the numbers for sectionals were coming along pretty nicely. Will congratulated the club on its persistence over the past week, waved the kids goodbye, and locked the door to the choir room. But the music hadn't stopped playing.

"Emma?"

Will tapped on the doorway. The poor woman had been careless enough to leave her office door open as she practiced stepping in time to a slow-paced melody. She jumped at the greeting.

"Will!" Emma's cheeks turned a rosy shade of red, and she grasped her chest, as if to hold her heart in place. "H-how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," He replied with a smirk. He took a moment to take in her flustered appearance - the brows slightly raised, her doe-like eyes widened to twice their usual size, a small quiver of her pink lips. She was truly a sight.

"So," He realized he'd been staring. Not good, Will, not good. "Working on those dance moves?" He twisted his feet in place for added effect, and was happy to catch Emma giggling behind her desk as the music still played.

"Yes," She admitted, not proudly, "Ken wants to take me out dancing tonight to celebrate..." She swallowed, the word still sounded foreign to her in some aspects, "The Engagement."

"Oh, yeah," Will's amusement faded, "You two must be excited. Have a date for the wedding picked out yet?"

"Soon," She replied vaguely, "He's trying to work around football season and I'm trying to...to..."

She trailed off as he invited himself into the office, drawing closer. There was a look on his face that told Emma he didn't quite buy their marriage. Loneliness was never a way most people were content with living their lives, of course, but why settle? Emma was too good to settle for someone she didn't care about.

"Well," Will stepped even closer to her, "Maybe we should work on those steps, huh? That way you can really impress your fiancee tonight." His stomach turned over at the word - it was too hard to imagine Ken being what Emma wanted. He could be sweet to her, and he could treat her with generosity and kindness, but he still didn't understand how that would make her happy if it wasn't what she wanted.

"Yeah?" She became nervous when he placed his left hand on her waist. "Take my hand here," He laced his fingers in hers, and she placed her other hand on his shoulder.

"Good," He smiled at her, "Now, hear this music? It's a waltz, so we're going to step in three-four time, right?"

"What?" She asked quickly, confused.

He chuckled, "Just follow my lead, okay, Em?"

He stepped back. She stepped forward, narrowly missing his shoe.

"One, two, three, one, two, three..."

He counted every step.

"Good!" There was a laugh in his voice as she mirrored his actions with less shyness. "You're doing great, Emma. Do this tonight, and Ken won't be able to resist."

"Oh, yeah," Emma's laugh was nervous and airy. He could sense that she was uncomfortable, bringing Ken up like that so casually. But he continued to dance.

"Okay, now for the spin..." He let go of her waist momentarily, leading her out of his grasp and twirling outwards.

"Just like that?" Emma asked, slightly unsure. Dancing was never a strength nor a weakness for her, but when it was Will she was dancing with, well, it was an entirely different story. She reversed the action by twirling back, and he caught her against him. Her breathing hitched when her heart began to race.

He took a light hold of her hand once more, and for some reason he could feel the blood pulsing through his veins. His palms were probably getting all sweaty.

"Yes," His voice was significantly lower now, "Like that."

He ushered her around, and they resumed their previous stance - his hand on her waist, her hand on his shoulder. They waltzed, but it was different now. It was slower. They were burning messages through the glances they'd been giving each other, though no words had been spoken.

"Why, Emma?" He asked lightly, breaking the quietness.

"Why what?"

He smiled sadly, taking a swift glance at his hand on her waist. "Why...are you doing this?"

She averted his gaze, but it didn't make the moment any easier. Her eyes trailed to the ring on her finger, resting on Will's shoulder.

"I... don't want to end up alone," She said finally, her voice honest.

"You were never going to be alone, Em. But you don't have to marry the first guy that you see get down on one knee to make sure of that. You deserve..."

What did he want to say? Better? Yes, but the comment was so simple. For a quick moment, he envisioned himself in Ken's shoes - treating Emma well for the rest of her life. Protecting her from al of the things that made her upset, or worried, or scared.

"Better," He settled on, too fearful to voice the honest thought that he imagined.

"You deserve to be happy," He continued, "If you're going to make a decision as big as marriage, you need to be sure that you're not settling for less than what makes you happier than you've ever been. You're supposed to be in --"

"Love?" She cut him off quickly, her smile solemn. "Will...I would have loved to get married out of adoration. And I do really like Ken, but I'm not getting any younger, and it might be too late before I realize..."

Why did he always do that to her? His presence was truly intoxicating when they were alone. She'd lost her train of thought again, and now, because she realized the space between their faces was shrinking at a remarkable rate.

She didn't trust herself now. She didn't trust herself with him. Their lips were millimeters away in distance; she was going to be a wife, and he a father. Deep down, family life was what Emma always expected for the two of them.

She just didn't expect that it would end up like this.

"I'm..." She gulped.

"Yes?" He asked, waiting for her answer. She could feel the word dancing on her reddening cheeks.

"I'm marrying Ken," She said quickly, catching her breath. "I can't go back on my word now."

But you want to, Will's mind responded instinctively.

"Right," He responded acceptingly. He pulled his face back from hers, a lingering touch on her waist before freeing her hands and walking back slowly.

"Well, if you dance like that tonight, I can safely say that you'll win him over. Provided that he can possibly be won over even more than he already is, I mean," His attitude suddenly perked up again, and Emma smiled.

"Have fun, okay, Em?" He said, giving her a quick wave before backing out of the room. She returned the parting action.

"Bye, Will," Her small smile remained until he was completely out of sight.

Dropping down in her swivel chair, Emma sighed heavily and glanced up at the door to her office. It was still half open.

Slightly influenced by my American Lit class. Yay for symbolism! : D
Hope you liked it. Reviews are lovely!