Will walked up the stairs to the apartment building that Shelby had told him was where she lived, checking the paper where he had written down her address, before buzzing her apartment.

"Who is it?" Shelby's voice came through the speaker a moment later.

Will cleared his throat, before pressing the button and replying,"It's Will. Um, Will Schuester," he said.

He could almost hear the smile in her voice as she replied,"Come on up," and the plexiglass door buzzed open. Will clutched the dozen roses he had bought from the florist down the block tightly in his hands as he stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor. He shifted from foot to foot nervously until the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

Shelby was waiting for him in the hallway in casual dark wash jeans and a dark purple shirt with a grey cardigan,"You look great," Will said, walking up to her and handing her the flowers.

Shelby smiled warmly, bringing the flowers to nose and inhaling deeply,"Thanks Will, they're beautiful," she said,"Hold on, I'll just go put them inside. I would invite you in, but then Rachel would want to come with us," she added with a chuckle, stepping inside her apartment and emerging a moment later.

"Ready?" Will asked.

Shelby nodded,"Where are we going?" she asked, leading the way into the elevator and pressing the ground floor button.

"Well, there's a little theater a few blocks away, and they are doing Rent this month. I got us tickets and I thought after that we could go get something to eat," Will replied.

Shelby smiled as they stepped out into the spring air,"Sounds great! Rent is one of my favorite musicals," she said, surprising Will by taking his hand as they walked down the sidewalk together.

Will smirked,"I know, Rachel told me. That's why I got the tickets," he said with a chuckle.

Shelby looked at him with a raised eyebrow,"What else did Rachel tell you about me?" she asked.

Will chuckled, shaking his head,"Nothing embarrassing, I promise. You just came up in conversation sometimes. She loves talking about you. It's clear that you're her hero," he said, smiling warmly at Shelby.

Shelby beamed,"Really?" she asked.

Will nodded,"It's really not that surprising, you're a very admirable woman, Shel...by. Shelby," he said, catching the nickname that he accidentally let slip, not really knowing where it came from.

Shelby chuckled,"Shel? I like it," she said simply, easing Will's nerves a bit. They walked the rest of the way to the theatre.

Once they got there, their tickets were taken and they were escorted to their seats, right in the front row. "You got really good seats," Shelby commented, crossing her legs.

Will shrugged,"I wanted to make sure you have a good time," he said simply.

Shelby smiled, kissing his cheek,"That's very sweet of you," she said, taking his hand as the show began.

The production was astounding, and both Shelby and Will had an incredible time watching it, and just being with each other. "That was fantastic," Shelby exclaimed, still holding Will's hand as they exited the theatre.

Will nodded his agreement,"Had you seen it live before?" he asked.

Shelby nodded,"Yeah, I saw it when it was on Broadway," she replied, walking a bit closer to him.

"Well, are you hungry? When does your babysitter have to leave?" Will asked.

Shelby sighed, checking her watch,"Well, it's already six, and I promised Rachel that I would make her spaghetti for dinner, so I should probably get home," she said.

Will nodded,"I understand," he said simply.

They made it to the door to Shelby's apartment building, and Shelby looked at the door almost sadly,"I really did have an incredible time today, Will," she said, allowing him to take her other hand.

Will smiled,"So did I," he said, cautiously pulling her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist,"Is this ok?" he asked nervously.

Shelby chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck,"This is very ok," she replied quietly, leaning forward slowly, putting the ball in Will's court. Will leaned forward as well, finding some courage, and quickly connecting their lips. The kiss started out gentle, maybe even a little awkward, as if they were teenagers sharing their first kiss, but it didn't take long to heat up. Will slid his tongue along the seam of Shelby's lips and she immediately opened to him, moaning as he explored her mouth.

Before too long, air became a necessity, and the two pulled apart, panting,"Wow," Will said, chuckling.

Shelby smiled,"Do you wanna' come up and have dinner with us?" she asked.

Will nodded,"I would love to," he said, giving her one more peck on the lips, before allowing her to pull out of his arms and put in the pass code to get into the building. Shelby led Will up the stairs, stopping in front of her apartment and unlocking the door.

Immediately, a tiny brunette blur raced into Shelby's waiting arms,"Mommy!" Rachel exclaimed, hugging her mother tightly as she was lifted into her arms.

Shelby smiled, dropping her purse onto the table by the door, slipping off her shoes, and kissing Rachel's forehead,"Did you have a good time while I was gone, baby?" she asked.

Rachel nodded,"We watched Cinderella and played with barbies!" she said excitedly.

Shelby chuckled, putting Rachel back down on the ground and paying the babysitter as she walked past her,"So, spaghetti for dinner?" Shelby questioned, heading for the kitchen.

Rachel nodded, bouncing after her,"Can I help?" she asked.

Shelby nodded,"Sure, sweetie. Will, do you wanna' help, too?" she questioned as she pulled a pot out from cabinet, setting it on the stove, before glancing back at the man who was still standing beside the door.

Will smiled and nodded, slipping off his shoes and walking into the kitchen,"Sure, what do you need me to do?" he asked.

"You could start the beef," Shelby suggested, pulling out a frying pan and handing it to him.

"Can do," Will said, kissing Shelby's cheek as he took the package of beef from her.

"Mommy, are you and Mr. Schue dating?" Rachel asked, glancing between the two, smiling.

Will looked awkwardly at Shelby, not quite sure how to answer, but was saved from having to when Shelby did,"Yeah, sweetie, we are."

Rachel giggled,"Mr. Schue and mommy sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," she sang, skipping back into the living room, having lost interest in cooking already.

Shelby chuckled, smiling as she watched her daughter plop down on the piano bench and begin playing,"She's adorable," Will said as he finished washing his hands and wrapped his arms around her tentatively.

Shelby sighed as she leaned back against him, welcoming his embrace,"She is, isn't she?" she said, still smiling as she watched Rachel play.

Will chuckled and kissed her cheek before tending to the cooking beef,"You know," Shelby said, filling the pot with water and setting it on the stove,"We've only really been on one date, and you're already in my kitchen helping me make dinner. You've made it farther than alot of other guys that I may have dated for months, who never even got to meet Rachel," she said.

"Well, I like to think that I'm not like other guys," Will said, smiling.

Shelby rolled her eyes,"Well, that comment brought you closer to being like one of the other guys," she said, laughing.

Will looked surprised for a moment,"I was just kidding," he stuttered.

Shelby chuckled, giving him a sweet kiss,"You know, I feel really comfortable around you," she admitted, leaning against the stove and watching him cook the beef.

Will smiled at her,"Really? I'm a nervous wreck around you," he joked.

Shelby chuckled," I can tell," she said,"You don't need to be, though."

Will shrugged,"I can't help it. I really like you, and it's been a while since I dated anyone. I just don't wanna' mess it up before it really even starts," he said.

Shelby gave him a warm smile,"You're not gonna' mess it up, Will. Unless you do something very, very stupid. I like you, a lot," she informed him.
Will smiled at her,"Well, I'm glad to know that the feelings are mutual," he said, turning back to the food.

Shelby raised an eyebrow at the way he said that, but ignored it as she went back to cooking. The couple shared dinner with Rachel, and Will even helped clean up before Shelby walked him outside. The couple stood outside of Shelby's apartment building on the sidewalk kissing for several minutes, before they finally separated, Will hailing a taxi, and Shelby walking back into the building to put Rachel to bed.

Shelby had never had such a good first date before, and she was beyond excited to see how their relationship would continue to grow.