They’re up in the attic, trying to find something to make Halloween costumes out of. Emma is watching Livvy pretend to be a ghost using an old sheet. She giggles when the boisterous five year old trips and falls into her lap. She pulls her onto her knee for a hug. Just then, a worried voice pipes up from behind them.
“Mommy...what’s this?”
Emma turns to see her eldest sitting by an old box, with a photograph album in her lap. She strains to see what it is, but can’t.
“I don’t know, honey, just a sec,” she says, urging Livvy to stand up and lifting the sheet off her to prevent any more falls.
She stands and makes her way over to Belle. A few steps away, she stops, having seen what it is Belle is looking at. It’s Terri and Will’s wedding album. She closes her eyes. She did not plan for this to be how the kids found out. She plasters on a smile and takes a seat on the floor beside Belle. Livvy comes over to see what the fuss is about, planting herself down on the other side of Emma.
Belle looks at her with large, watery eyes.
“It’s Mama and Uncle Will. And they’re getting married,” she says, her voice quivering.
“Lemme see, lemme see!” Livvy says, leaning over Emma to pull the album closer. “Ewwww! They’re kissing!”
Emma’s not terribly fond of the album herself, having leafed through it once before while she was alone in the house. But she knows that it must have come as quite a shock to Belle to find it there, having had no prior knowledge of Terri and Will’s relationship.
“Well, honey...you see, before Mama and I were married, Mama was married to Uncle Will,” she explains, gently. “So these are the pictures of their wedding.”
Belle’s lower lip is trembling now and Emma wraps an arm around her. Livvy appears to be nonplussed by the discovery and is continuing to look through the album.
“This dress isn’t as nice as the one she has on in your book, Mommy,” Livvy decides and Emma smiles, ruffling her hair.
“But...why did she get married to Uncle Will?” Belle asks. “Why didn’t you stop her?”
Emma laughs a little at that. She has wondered what life would’ve been like if she’d gone to school with Will and Terri. The hopeless romantic in her likes to think that she and Terri were fated to be together and that if they’d met at school, they would’ve been the high-school sweethearts who beat the odds to stay together and get married and have kids. But in reality, she knows that Terri was a cheerleader and that she was the weird girl with the germ phobia and that their paths would probably not have crossed.
“Honey, I didn’t know your Mama back then,” she says, rubbing her hand up and down Belle’s arm. “I met her while she was married to Uncle Will.”
She refrains from mentioning the fact that she was pursuing Will at the time. She feels that it will only complicate matters. Belle still looks upset and Emma isn’t sure how to make it better. It’s a lot to take in, that one of your parents had a whole other life that you were not a part of.
“Do you think she liked being married to him?” Belle asks, obviously trying to wrap her head around the concept.
Emma searches for the right response to that, one which doesn’t do Terri and Will’s relationship a disservice.
“It looks like she liked kissing him,” Livvy chips in, holding up a picture of Terri and Will kissing under a tree.
Emma flinches when her eyes land on the picture, but she covers it up and turns back to Belle, who is staring at the photo, distraught.
“Yes, honey, I think she liked being married to him,” she says, gently holding Belle’s chin and guiding her around to look into her eyes.
“But...but...aren’t you sad that she liked being married to someone else?” Belle asks.
Glee (Glitterverse), Emma/Terri, Belle finds Terri and Will's wedding album
“Mommy...what’s this?”
Emma turns to see her eldest sitting by an old box, with a photograph album in her lap. She strains to see what it is, but can’t.
“I don’t know, honey, just a sec,” she says, urging Livvy to stand up and lifting the sheet off her to prevent any more falls.
She stands and makes her way over to Belle. A few steps away, she stops, having seen what it is Belle is looking at. It’s Terri and Will’s wedding album. She closes her eyes. She did not plan for this to be how the kids found out. She plasters on a smile and takes a seat on the floor beside Belle. Livvy comes over to see what the fuss is about, planting herself down on the other side of Emma.
Belle looks at her with large, watery eyes.
“It’s Mama and Uncle Will. And they’re getting married,” she says, her voice quivering.
“Lemme see, lemme see!” Livvy says, leaning over Emma to pull the album closer. “Ewwww! They’re kissing!”
Emma’s not terribly fond of the album herself, having leafed through it once before while she was alone in the house. But she knows that it must have come as quite a shock to Belle to find it there, having had no prior knowledge of Terri and Will’s relationship.
“Well, honey...you see, before Mama and I were married, Mama was married to Uncle Will,” she explains, gently. “So these are the pictures of their wedding.”
Belle’s lower lip is trembling now and Emma wraps an arm around her. Livvy appears to be nonplussed by the discovery and is continuing to look through the album.
“This dress isn’t as nice as the one she has on in your book, Mommy,” Livvy decides and Emma smiles, ruffling her hair.
“But...why did she get married to Uncle Will?” Belle asks. “Why didn’t you stop her?”
Emma laughs a little at that. She has wondered what life would’ve been like if she’d gone to school with Will and Terri. The hopeless romantic in her likes to think that she and Terri were fated to be together and that if they’d met at school, they would’ve been the high-school sweethearts who beat the odds to stay together and get married and have kids. But in reality, she knows that Terri was a cheerleader and that she was the weird girl with the germ phobia and that their paths would probably not have crossed.
“Honey, I didn’t know your Mama back then,” she says, rubbing her hand up and down Belle’s arm. “I met her while she was married to Uncle Will.”
She refrains from mentioning the fact that she was pursuing Will at the time. She feels that it will only complicate matters. Belle still looks upset and Emma isn’t sure how to make it better. It’s a lot to take in, that one of your parents had a whole other life that you were not a part of.
“Do you think she liked being married to him?” Belle asks, obviously trying to wrap her head around the concept.
Emma searches for the right response to that, one which doesn’t do Terri and Will’s relationship a disservice.
“It looks like she liked kissing him,” Livvy chips in, holding up a picture of Terri and Will kissing under a tree.
Emma flinches when her eyes land on the picture, but she covers it up and turns back to Belle, who is staring at the photo, distraught.
“Yes, honey, I think she liked being married to him,” she says, gently holding Belle’s chin and guiding her around to look into her eyes.
“But...but...aren’t you sad that she liked being married to someone else?” Belle asks.
Emma thinks about that for a second.
“I...was, for a little while,” she says, slowly.