"I'm falling even more in love with you, letting go of all I've held onto." - Lifehouse

There was nothing greater than the feeling of those first few moments of freedom as the school year ended. Will waved happily as his glee club dashed out the door, returning the hugs thrown his way from Quinn, Rachel, and Mercedes. As he packed his ukulele he hummed the tune he'd practiced for the past two days.

"I always loved that song," a voice called quietly from the doorway. Will smiled as he closed the instrument case, beckoning for Emma to join him at the piano.

"All done?" He knew she had a lot of paperwork to finish up with the transcripts going out, but she was very organized.

"Almost," she said. "Tomorrow I have to send out the final transcripts for the seniors." Will shook his head and smiled at her, gesturing for her to join him on the piano bench. She sat next to him, closer than she would have normally, and he lifted the lid. His fingers danced over the keys, playing familiar chords.

"Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me," he had reverted back to the original melody, and Emma closed her eyes. She pictured the old black and white images on her television, sitting on the couch with her parents when she was younger, watching Dorothy wish herself to a magical place. Without thinking, she opened her mouth and sang the next line.

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops. That's where you'll find me." He improvised on the melody as he turned his head to look at her sidelong. He laid his voice underneath her soprano in a quiet harmony.

"Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow; why, then, oh why can't I? Why, then, oh why can't I?" He finished the song softly on the piano before setting his hands in his lap.

"You have a beautiful voice," he told her honestly. She blushed and ducked her head, hiding her face behind a curtain of red hair. He grabbed her hand with his and clutched it earnestly. "I mean it, Emma. I meant to tell you months ago in the dress shop but…" he trailed off, his mind flying back to the day he realized he had some very inappropriate feelings for his best friend.

"Will?" apparently she'd noticed the discomfort in his face. He replaced his distant look with a smile and stood up quickly.

"Come on, school's over. We have two and half months to just…be together." She took his proffered hand and stood next to him.

"We can clean your office, then mine, then get out of here." She still had his hand as she moved toward his office, but he didn't budge.

"What? What do you mean clean my office?" She whirled on him with an incredulous stare.

"You don't clean out your office for the summer?" Will stifled a groan as he realized his plans for relaxing this afternoon were out, and followed her into the adjacent room.

Two hours later their offices were spotless, and they'd collected whatever trinkets they wished to save over the summer. Will picked up sub sandwiches on the way home, and thirty minutes later Emma knocked on his door. She'd gone home and changed clothes – forgoing the shower in an attempt to be less OCD– and grabbed a bottle of wine.

"Ah, yes," he teased as she stepped across the threshold, "just what a Subway dinner lacks…white wine." She slipped her shoes off as he took the bottle from her, and she chuckled as, despite his teasing, he poured them each a glass. He raised his and cleared his throat as she grasped hers.

"To the end of another exciting year at McKinley High," he toasted. She lifted her glass in response and sipped the wine. She smiled as she realized he'd laid utensils at her plate, and she picked up her knife and fork to dissect her sandwich delicately.

"Why'd she do it?" Emma asked finally, voicing the question that had probably been on both their minds for the past couple of days.

"I'm not sure," Will answered. "Sue does things sometimes that make sense only to her. I mean, she'd been fighting all year to get rid of glee club, then out of nowhere she's the one who saves it. I have no idea what's going on in her head, and I'm not sure I want to know."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth?" Emma inquired with a smile.

"That, or let sleeping dogs lie, I'm not sure which is more appropriate. I'm sure she has something awful planned for next year. We'll just have to wait and see." He finished his sandwich with one last mouthful and stood to rinse his plate. He walked over quickly and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Baseball?" she inquired with a sly smile, and he grinned back unabashedly.

"Hey, this is the Indians' year, I can feel it." She laughed at his joke and sighed in mock exasperation as he darted into the living room to switch on the game. She heard the sounds of faint cheering backing the voices of the commentators as they detailed every play of the game. Surprisingly, it seemed the Indians were actually ahead, and when she finished her sandwich she rinsed her plate and joined him on the couch.

"Okay," she said finally, "explain it to me." His head snapped around and he looked at her as if she'd grown another head.

"Explain what? Baseball? You never played…or even watched a game?"

"Sports aren't really my thing," she shot back. "And besides, down south it's more about football than baseball." She snuggled into his side as he began explaining the basic rules of the game, even mentioning some of his all-time favorite players and their stats.

"So an earned run is bad?" Her voice was laced with confusion and Will chuckled.

"Only for the pitcher," he answered patiently. "His job is to get strikes against batters, so any runs scored that aren't due to error or a passed ball is on the pitcher. Obviously, he wants to keep that number as low as possible." Her face was wrinkled in confusion and he kissed her brow just above her nose.

"Okay, I'm completely lost now. How about you just enjoy the game and I'll go clean the kitchen?" As she stood he grabbed her arm and tugged gently, pulling her back to the couch. In a quick movement, she was under him and she barely had time to squeal in surprise before his mouth descended on hers.

This time, when she felt the fire beginning in her, she didn't pull back in hesitation. Instead, she deepened the kiss, pulling him to her fully. She felt rather than heard him moan in the back of his throat, and his hands gripped her hips firmly as he pushed her into the couch. Feeling empowered, she lifted her hips then reversed the motion, using his instinctual momentum to flip them over. She pulled back to see the shock on his face as she straddled him, feeling his obvious desire beneath her.

"Em?" he whispered, receiving only a sly smile in answer. She slowly rocked her hips forward, and he hissed with pleasure as his hands came up to her waist. When his eyes opened, he saw her uncertain expression and her bottom lip between her teeth. Using his hands, he guided her through the motions, pulling her forward, then pushing down as she slid back. The gasp it elicited from her made him grin, and he felt giddy when she began moving on her own.

Her hair curtained around her face as she looked down at him, and when their eyes locked Emma knew something was about to change. He reached up with both hands and pushed the hair away from her face, framing it gently.

"Stay with me tonight," he pleaded softly. She leaned down till their chests were flush, and she could feel the heat rolling off of him in waves. Canting her head to one side, she let her hair fall over her shoulder as her mouth moved dangerously close to his ear.

"My bag's in the car," she whispered in reply. She saw the moment his eyes darkened, and managed to hold back a scream as he lifted her from the couch in a show of strength. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist as his mouth laid hot against her neck. He walked them down the hallway, pausing for a moment to press her against the wall for a heated kiss.

The reality of the situation flooded her senses, and she pulled away with a worried look in her eyes. Will didn't let up, but placed delicate, reassuring kisses on her collarbone and jaw line.

"Shh," he soothed. "We'll go slow, Em, and I'll stop whenever you want. But if you open yourself up to this, and trust me, I promise you won't regret it." She stared into his eyes for a moment more before nodding, inhaling sharply as he took her full weight again and walked them the rest of the way to the bedroom.

For the next few hours, they touched, kissed, and caressed each other into a blissful height of passion that neither had ever experienced before. Emma, who had been a little hesitant at first, soon surrendered to Will's tender ministrations. After they were spent, they collapsed in a tangled heap of limbs and sweat. It lasted all of five minutes before Will felt Emma squirming beneath him.

"Hmm?" he hummed, unable to summon the energy to even lift his head.

"I need a shower," she stated definitively, earning a chuckle from the man beside her. He lifted his arm from her damp body, pressing a kiss to her neck as he lifted himself from the bed.

"I'll go grab your bag. Towels are in the cabinet." She watched him through her half-closed eyes as he pulled his a pair of boxers on, then his jeans, then a t-shirt from a folded pile on the dresser. He flashed her a smile and wink on his way out the door, letting her know he'd been aware of her eyes on him. She blushed and rose from the bed, a little unsteady on her legs as the exhaustion from their activities set in. Once in the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror.

Her reflection seemed the same as it had always been, but inside she felt different; like some part of her was gone and had been replaced by something so much better. She'd finally dropped her guard and let someone in. No, she thought, not just someone. She smiled as she heard the front door open and close, and seconds later the knock on the door.

"Come in," she laughed. "There's not really anything more to hide is there?" He was smiling as the door opened, and she didn't miss how his eyes wandered over her form as he dropped the bag on the floor and glided to her.

"I love you," he said sincerely, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her nose swiftly, then brushed her unruly hair away from her face. "You're cute when you're disheveled." She slapped his shoulder playfully, and he darted back. "I'm gonna make a sandwich. You want one?" Her stomach answered for her and they both laughed as he left her alone with her thoughts.

You ever get distracted by life? Happened to me. Apologies all. But special thanks to agtstarbuck for kicking me in the pants and getting me updating again. Or at least checking to make sure I was still alive. That's cool too.