Glee: "The Day After"

Chapter 7: Will & Emma

Will walked into the teacher's lounge, feeling drained after a long and difficult day. Emma was sitting at one of the tables, her gaze fixed on the wall as she lost herself in thought.

"Hey," Will said softly, walking over to her.

Emma looked up and saw him, and before he knew it she had jumped up and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Tears streamed down her face as she clung to him.

"Thank God you're okay," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

Will hugged her back tightly, feeling a wave of emotion wash over him. "I'm okay," he said softly, his voice breaking. "I'm okay."

They stood there for a moment before Emma pulled back and looked at him, her eyes red from crying. "What happened?" she asked. "I heard Sue got fired."

Will nodded solemnly. "Yeah. It was her gun. She brought it to school to protect herself and it went off accidentally."

Emma shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe it."

"I know," Will said, running a hand through his hair. "It's just... everything's so messed up right now."

Emma nodded sympathetically. "I know. But we'll get through this together."

Will sighed heavily. "I'm just worried about the kids. They're going to have a lot of emotions and feelings to deal with in the next few days."

Emma nodded in agreement. "I know. But Figgins has already ordered mandatory counseling sessions for all the students. And we'll be here for them too."

Will looked at her gratefully. "Thanks, Emma. You always know just what to say."

They sat down at the table and talked for a while longer, discussing their fears and hopes for the future as they tried to come to terms with the tragedy that had shaken their world.

"I just feel so helpless," Will said at one point, his voice filled with emotion.

Emma reached out and took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You're not helpless, Will. You're doing everything you can for those kids. And they know that."

Will smiled at her gratefully through his tears. "Thanks, Emma. You always know how to make me feel better."

They both smiled back at each other with a hopeful look in their eyes as they faced the uncertain future together.

And that's the end of the excerpts. Please read and review!