Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 31st cycle. Now cycle 32!

Hear that little bird twitter! Been thinking about doing this for a couple days, then this morning decided to just go for it. If you go there, find 'gleekathon' and there I'll be. There's also a video explaining everything... Yep... ;) Check it out!

"It Will Take Time"
Will & Quinn

[stay tuned at the bottom for a quick Name Poll! ;)]

Will wasn't sure what to make of what had just happened. He'd heard the commotion in the hall and somehow he knew it would involve a couple of his kids… But even then he was taken aback, when he saw the two Cheerios mid-brawl. It didn't stop him from stepping in, pulling Quinn and Santana apart, even having to hold Quinn back before she could leap on to Santana again. Left with her there, processing what he'd heard them shouting at each other, he knew he couldn't just let her go off, still wrapped in this dark cloud.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, and she gave a dry little nod, so he let her go. "Alright, come with me," he led her back to his office, and she followed like she was on auto pilot. He got her to sit before bringing her some water. She took it, not meeting his eye.

"She just came out of nowhere, I didn't…"

"Don't worry about it," he shook his head, sitting on the edge of his desk, facing her. "I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I, yeah…" she sat up. "No bruises…"

"That's not what I mean. And I think you know." She stayed quiet, looking at her cup. "How… how was your summer?"

"Well, I spent most of it working off the baby weight… which is easier when there's no actual baby around to have to take care of…" she answered, and her tone turned that answer into something more than a quick quip.

"Look, I know this summer was hard…"

"You don't even know the half of it…" she shook her head, and he thought he saw a tear roll down her cheek. She was shutting down, or had been shutting down for a while now and he was just seeing it.

"Quinn, have you talked to anyone? Have you considered seeing a..."

"What, a shrink? So you think I'm crazy?" she sniffled.

"That's not what I said," he promised, trying to meet her eye, but he got nothing. "I just think it might do you some good to let these things out, with someone who's better prepared to give you the support you need at a time like this."

"What if I don't want to keep being that girl?" she asked all of a sudden, and he paused. "Everyone still expects me to be her again, even though I try… so hard not to be," she shook her head.

"The year's only just starting," he reminded her. "I'd love to tell you that it can happen overnight, but we both know that's not true." He hesitated for a moment. "Is that why you've rejoined the Cheerios?" he asked, indicating her uniform.

"May be part of it," she admitted. Will looked at her, trying to figure out what to say next. "Look, once Santana cools off about me being Captain, she… it'll be fine," Quinn insisted, speaking like someone who didn't want to be there.

"Do you know why I made you come in here?" he asked her pointedly. "You were shaking, and not just because you got upset."

"Everyone's so worried about me all of a sudden…" she shook her head for a moment before looking at him. "I just want my life back," her voice showed the cracks, slowly creeping up over her composure.

"I know you do," Will responded kindly. "And I'm sorry you had to be out there on your own this summer; I'm sure it must have been…"

"Lonely? Awkward? Frustrating? Infuriating?" she filled in. "Yeah, all of that… Mostly it just sucked…" There was almost a chuckle in her voice, but not quite.

"But now you're back, here with us. I can't promise it'll fix everything, but you'll be back around all of these people who care for you, myself included," he got a cautious smile from her. "And over time, maybe…"

"Like song and dance therapy…"

"I wouldn't call it that, but it'll be something to bring some joy into your life. That can go a long way." She didn't respond, but she'd heard him out. "And, look, I'll talk to Santana about all this."

"No, please don't," she shook her head. "I can handle her."

"I don't want you two fighting again," he warned. "Next time you might get hurt, or suspended…" Her gaze was still moving about, like her mind was elsewhere. "I'm not going to stand over your shoulder, keep asking you if you're alright, but if you do need someone to talk to, no questions asked… I'm here."

"I know," she looked back at him, with gratitude in her eyes.

"Okay, well… unless there's anything else…" She shook her head. "Then I'll see you in Glee Club," he concluded. She got up, putting the empty water cup on his desk.

"Thanks, Mr. Schue… It's good to be back," she willed a smile before heading out.

Will watched her go, disappearing into the sea of students. He hated to think about it, but looking at her he knew she wasn't alright, that she might not be for a while. The baby had been born, given away… But Quinn was still there, and for all her bravado there was this dark shadow on her… and he just wanted her to get her light back.

THE END

PICK A NAME!
New character currently in development, and I'm being indecisive, so I'm putting it to all of you lovely people!
Please send via message if you can, the name you like best...

Brendan
Duncan
Ewan
Keegan
Neal
Rory
Sean

Thank you! :)

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!