Part 35
Even though Nick and Jeff spent the evening together, they made their way over to Blaine and Sebastian's rather early the next morning. While they easily could've gotten ready at their place, Blaine and Sebastian had more room and it allowed them all to spend time together before hand. They were gathered in the living room when the doorbell rang so Sebastian went to get it. Upon opening the door, there stood Dave, Beat, and Trent. "Do you ever where a shirt when you answer the door?" Trent asked since it seemed anytime he'd shown up early to their place Sebastian was usually shirtless.
"Only after nine." Sebastian replied with a smile. "Jeff and Nick are in the living room."
"Where are the rest of the guys?" Dave asked.
"Brody is on his way over after dropping Rachel off at the hotel. And Thad and Hunter will be here soon as they were responsible for transporting Brittany's gown to the hotel as well as Quinn, Brittany, and Santana."
"What about the sisters?" Beat asked as they all headed towards the living room.
"My Dad is taking them over." Nick replied as they joined them.
"Why your Dad?" Trent asked.
"Brittany didn't want any information getting back to me otherwise my Dad would've taken them." Jeff said. "By the way, morning."
"There is coffee in the kitchen." Blaine said just as they heard more voices coming down the hallway.
"Don't they ring?" Trent asked.
"Nope." Blaine replied. "Personally, I'm surprised Beat and Dave did."
"Trent rang the bell." Dave replied. "He was afraid of what we might walk in on. We told him he had nothing to worry about."
"Dave was right." Sebastian told him. "When B and I know we're having company, we behave. If any of these guys came over unannounced and just walked it, they see what they see."
"That is why we never walk in when they're not expecting us." Thad said. "Who knows what the two of them are into?"
"The same could be said for the rest of you." Sebastian said as he sat down next to Blaine.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Nick asked.
"Nothing." Blaine replied before looking at Sebastian.
"Blaine." Jeff said.
"Honestly guys, it's nothing. You know Bas, always trying to cause trouble. So, Hunter, Thad, Brody. How are the girls this morning?"
"They're good. Thad replied. "When we dropped them off Brody was just ahead of us."
"That is correct." Brody replied. "No sooner did they get into the lobby were they getting fawned over. Must've had something to do with the big garment bag Hunter was carrying and the veil Santana was carrying."
"Safe to say, they're in good hands." Hunter added. "It's quite a relief knowing it doesn't take us as long to get ready."
"No kidding." Nick said. "From what Santana told me, shortly after they were arriving at the hotel their glam squad was arriving."
"Honestly, what can take that long?" Trent asked.
"Considering how long it takes hair and make-up to get the three of us ready for a shoot, it makes sense." Blaine told him. "And there is way less to do with us."
"Blaine's got a point. " Dave said. "All the girls have long hair so that alone is going to take time. And I'm sure they're not all getting ready at the same time."
"That would be correct." Hunter said. "Hence the amount of time needed."
Meanwhile across town the girls were doing their thing and were relaxing in the suite. Jeff's sister were just beginning to get their hair done when Quinn opened the door for room service. "Did you order anything Britt?"
"No, why?" She asked as she came around the corner dressed in a pair of shorts and one of Jeff's button-up shirts.
"Miss Pierce?"
"That would be me." Brittany said as she and Quinn stepped aside so the carts could be brought in. "We didn't order this."
"Your fiancé did. He thought you ladies might get a bit hungry."
"Jeff's too sweet." Quinn told her as Brittany signed for the food.
"He most certainly is." She replied with a big smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. And congratulations Miss Pierce."
"Thank you!" Once the door closed, Brittany and Quinn joined everyone else.
"Where did all this come from?" Santana asked.
"Jeff sent it." Brittany replied. "So, enjoy!" She then headed towards her purse that was sitting on the table.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to call Jeff and thank him. That is allowed, right?"
"Yes, just don't video chat."
"Don't worry, I won't. Remember, I'm the one that wanted to not see him till I walk down the aisle."
"What made you decide that?" Megan asked.
"While we can get that wow moment when we first see each other, there is something different knowing it's going to be as I'm walking towards him to become his wife. And there isn't going to be more time to wait between that moment and exchanging our vows."
"Jeff loves you more than I thought was possible." Carly told her. "You really do make him happy."
"He makes me happy."
"Amanda, what's the biggest change you've seen in Britt since she and Jeff got together?" Rachel asked and soon all eyes were on her.
"She's more confident. Jeff's belief in her as well as that of the rest of the guys got her to believe in herself."
"She's right you know." Santana said. "The more time you spent with Blaine and the guys, the more confident you became. Then once you and Jeff got together it grew exponentially. Too bad the rest of us couldn't do the same for you."
"I never gave you a reason. I was usually happy around you guys. But not graduating put thing into perspective and well, I got a bit depressed. And while others were more than content thinking I was an idiot, the guys didn't. Blaine and Sebby thought I just needed a bit of extra help and all the guys offered to help."
"Then Jeff became your knight in shining armor." Quinn said.
"He did in a sense." Brittany replied.
"Another relationship formed out of friendship. It seems to be a recurring theme with all of us, isn't it?"
"Well, Rachel met Brody in the showers so that's a bit different."
"You met him where?" Megan asked.
"In the co-ed bathroom at NYADA. He was coming out of the shower when we first met."
"Oh my!" The older girls all laughed at Megan's reaction and Brittany took advantage of that break in the conversation to finally call Jeff. "She's talking to Jeff, isn't she?"
"Yea." Santana replied. "That smile says it all. He's the only one that puts it on her face."
When the guys arrived at the venue, they were all doing everything they could to keep Jeff calm as over the last hour he'd started to become rather nervous. Even Sebastian, Thad, and Hunter had cut back on their normal sarcastic comments upon seeing the change in him. While he was over talking to his Dad as they waited for the photographer, the rest of the guys walked up to Nick. "Is he going to be okay?" Blaine asked.
"Yea. It's more like performance nerves. Now that it's here, Jeff just wants to do it and the waiting is getting to him."
"That's to be expected." Dave said. "Wes got like this as well, right Blaine?"
"He's right. So, you should let him know it's completely normal as he doesn't seem to really want to talk to anyone else beside you."
"You know how Jeff gets when he's nervous. He's worried about saying something he shouldn't and he knows I'll blow it off while the rest of you have a tendency to pick on him for it."
"You can safely tell him, we won't do that." Sebastian said as he looked at the guys. "Personally I think it's rather sweet that he's so excited about marrying Britt."
"Seb's right, on both accounts." Thad told him.
"Seb's right about what?" Jeff said as he walked up to them.
"I said that I think it's rather sweet that you're so excited about marrying Britt." Jeff smiled in response. "Also, don't worry; we've all put our sarcastic comments under lock and key so feel free to talk freely."
"It was noticeable?"
"It was." Thad said. "But I don't blame you, we can get bad. In this case though, you have all the right in the world to be a little tongue tied. You're marrying the girl of your dreams, it's allowed."
"Take advantage of it my friend as you know this isn't going to happen too often." Trent told him. "Make the most of it."
"Trent's right, you don't know how long it'll last." Blaine said as he slid his arm around Sebastian. "It's going to take great restraint on all of their parts."
"I've been nice on multiple occasions when I easily could've said something." Sebastian said.
"As have I." Hunter added. "The same could be said for Thad."
"True, but it's often harder for all of you to refrain when it's one of us that says something that shouldn't be said." Blaine told them.
"B's got a point. We love giving each other a hard time. Just remember, it goes beyond the three of us. You've all been known to do the same thing."
"Seb's got a point." Beat said. "We're all pretty bad."
"Excluding Hunter, I blame all the debate classes at Dalton." Dave said. "Remember, spirited conversation often unlocks new theories and ideas."
"You're kidding, right?" Hunter said.
"He's not." Thad said. "Sadly, it's true if you think about it. We've all debated ideas on numerous occasions and it's often given us great ideas we never would've thought about or considered otherwise."
"If one thinks of it that way, it's true." Hunter said.
Before they could get into an in-depth conversation, Mrs. Sterling came walking over as the photographer had arrived and was ready for the guys. Once quite a few pictures were taken of Jeff and his parents, the rest of the guys were slowly added into the mix. First Nick, then the groomsmen, and then the ushers. As they were finishing up the shots of Jeff with each of the guys in the bridal party, the guests were beginning to arrive. Since the ushers had their individual shots with Jeff first, Hunter, Brody, and Beat went to work as the rest of the guys stayed with Jeff.
"It's getting closer." Thad said. "How you feeling?"
"Sick to my stomach."
"When was the last time you ate?" Blaine asked since they'd all basically snacked while they got ready after they'd eaten breakfast together.
"Honestly, I don't remember." Jeff replied, which quickly had Nick heading off to see if they could get Jeff something to eat or at least something to calm his stomach. Once Nick was gone, the rest of the guys found a quiet spot down near the water and got Jeff to sit down while they waited on Nick. Since it was a bit warm out, all of the guys took their jackets off and made sure Jeff did the same. Considering the rest of them weren't hungry, they began to realize that Jeff was probably just really anxious.
"It's not much, but your Mom is trying to get you a bit more." Nick said as he handed Jeff some ginger ale along with some crackers.
"If anyone else saw this they'd think you were pregnant. Thad said with a laugh that got the rest of the guys, including Jeff laughing as well. "Sorry man, I couldn't resist."
"Relax; I would've said the same thing." Jeff replied. "Has anyone heard from the girls?"
"Last I spoke with Santana; they were about to head down to take some pictures outside before they headed over." Nick told him. "And according to her, Brittany looks absolutely exquisite." The smile that crept to Jeff's face could've lit up the area if it wasn't already so nice out.
"Did she say anything else?"
"Just that Britt's as anxious to see you as you are to see her and she can't wait to become Mrs. Jeffrey Sterling."
"See, you have to pull yourself together man if Britt's as anxious and looks exquisite." Sebastian told him before moving a few strands of hair. "Much better, what do you think B?"
"Much."
"You two are ridiculous, but thank you." Jeff said as he stood. As he stood there seem to be a bit of calm that wasn't around him earlier. "It's truly a beautiful day, isn't it?"
"It is." Trent said. "I'd say it's a perfect day to get married, right guys?"
"That's right." Beat said. "And I couldn't think of two nicer people for it to be happening too."
"Hey!" Sebastian said.
"This is there day, yours is in a few months. And on that day I'll be saying something similar."
"That's better." When Jeff laughed again, they could all see he was feeling better. Maybe all of them behaving wasn't what he needed. He needed them all to be themselves and let the crazy comments fly. The more comments that flew, the more comfortable they all were. These moments weren't going unnoticed as Mrs. Sterling happened to get quite a few pictures of the guys just being themselves. They were in the middle of a conversation when Sebastian's phone went off. "The girls are here according to Brody."
"Did he say anything else?" Nick asked.
"They all look incredible."
As they escorted the girls through a back door Brittany took a look around. "You're not going to find them." Hunter told them.
"How do you know?"
"They're down by the water so they're out of view."
"See, no sneaking a peak." Quinn told her before giving Hunter a kiss. "Thank you for helping us in."
"You're welcome. I better get back to work."
"You do that." Santana told him.
"I will, and ladies, you look lovely." They all thanked him and watched as he headed back outside.
"He's right, you all look great." Brittany told them.
"What can we say, he's got good taste." Rachel said. "But you Britt, look stunning. You're going to take Jeff's breath away."
"Thank you. Santana?"
"Don't worry hun, I already spoke with my Mom and she promised to get a picture of Jeff the instant he sees you. She also said the guys all look incredibly handsome."
"When did she see them?"
"When they were getting their pictures taken, but if what Beat, Brody, and Hunter look likes is any clue, I'm not surprised."
"Britt, do you want me to go and get Dad so he can get his big crying session over with?"
"That would probably be a good idea. But make sure no one sees you."
"What if I can't get to him without someone seeing?"
"Get one of the ushers to go and get him." Amanda nodded and headed off. Before she rounded the corner she looked back at the girls. "Um, what is Cooper Anderson doing here?" Those words cause the rest of the girls to laugh. "What?"
"Cooper is Blaine's brother." Santana told her. "Now get going. We'll introduce you later." Once she was gone Santana turned to look at Brittany. "You never told her Cooper was Blaine's brother or that you just happen to work for his wife."
"I don't think twice about it anymore. He's just Cooper."
"Britt's got a point." Rachel said. "He's not Cooper Anderson movie star, he's Blaine's brother to all of us."
"From what I've seen, he prefers it that way." Quinn said.
"He does. Unless he's attending a premiere, you'd never think he's found the success he has." Brittany said. "And the fact that all of Blaine's friends only see him as his brother and nothing more is perfect. He enjoys what he does but he doesn't want it to define him."
"I'd have to say his favorite role is that of husband and father." Rachel said.
"You would be correct. There isn't anything he wouldn't do for Lexi and the kids." As Brittany answered, Megan walked over to the windows.
"Your Dad should be here soon Britt. I see Beat talking with him now as Amanda stopped at the end of the walkway."
"Do you see anyone else?"
"Looks like the rest of the Warblers are here as I see Ally talking with a bunch of them and the rest are over near Cooper and his family."
Brittany was staying far away from the windows because if anyone looked from the ceremony site through them they easily could've seen her. Once Brittany's Dad came walking into the room, Santana as well as the other girls all had tissues handy as they weren't sure how the meeting would go down. Much as they predicted, her Dad quickly began to tear up so Rachel was quick to hand him a few tissues while Santana handed a few to Brittany. Though, they had taken preventative measures and used waterproof make-up if possible for Brittany as well as the rest of them. And considering all the weddings they'd attended they knew it was a good thing since they'd all cried at every one of them.
While the girls were all doing their last minute touch-ups inside, the coordinator had gone and gotten the guys from down by the water. "Ready to do this?" Nick asked as they all put their jackets back on during their walk back.
"I am." Jeff replied with a big smile and a sense of calm which made all the guys happy. "You have the ring, correct?"
"I do." Nick told him and pulled the box out of his pocket and showed him before putting it back in. "We're good. All the guys made sure I had it before we left Blaine and Seb's."
"We felt it was better to ask then, but we knew we could've at least sent Coop to get it if he left it at our place." Blaine told him. "But Nick's on top of things."
"Do you have your vows?" Trent asked.
"In my jacket pocket but I'm hoping I don't need to pull them out."
Once the guys were lined up just out of sight, the coordinator went to go and get the girls since the guys knew the music cue for them to start. "Last chance man." Dave told him. "There's a boat down by the water we can snag."
"No, I'm good." Jeff replied as he stood a bit straighter and Nick brushed an imaginary piece of lint off his the jacket. "But thanks for having my back, all of you. You really do mean everything to me."
"And you to us." Thad told him before Nick had a chance to respond. "I hope you plan on thanking Blaine here."
"What for?"
"If I wasn't for him, there would be no you and Britt. Heck, the same could be said for you Duval."
"Then we should be thanking Seb as well." Nick said. "He's the one that got Blaine to come back to us."
"How about we just enjoy the moment?" Blaine said before Sebastian turned around to give him a kiss.
"Sounds good." Dave said and just as he finished the music changed and that was their cue to head onto the raised platform.
After the Grandparents made their way down the aisle, Jeff's parents were next followed by Brittany's Mom who Beat escorted down the aisle. From where the guys were standing they could get a brief glimpse of the girls but that was mainly due to the deep fuchsia dresses they were wearing. Slowly but surely the girls began making their way down the aisle and as each one took their spot the guys all noticed Jeff begin to shift slightly. Once Santana took her spot across from them, all eyes went to the back of the aisle.
Even though they couldn't see it for themselves, if how they all felt was anything to go by, Jeff had to be in complete awe as Brittany appeared with her Dad. With all eyes on her, it was clear Brittany was focused solely on Jeff in that moment as she looked straight ahead. When Jeff walked down the couple of steps to take her hand, Nick looked over at Santana whose eyes had already welled up with tears. Then after a kiss from her Dad, Jeff and Brittany made their way up the steps.
Since Santana's hands were full between the two bouquets, Megan stepped out briefly to straighten the slight train on Brittany's gown along with her veil which was as long. Once she returned to her spot, the minister began the ceremony. With everything going on around them, it was pretty clear that Jeff and Brittany were oblivious to everyone except for each other and the minister. This was one of those moments they were both going to be thankful that it was being recorded.
When it came time for the two of them to exchange the vows they'd written for each other, the guys could see each of the girls ready themselves as this is when they all seemed to start crying in previous ceremonies. Once Jeff started, there was a slight waver to his voice, but he quickly pulled himself together. The longer he spoke; even the guys were starting to feel themselves overcome with emotion as it was clear from his words how deep Jeff's love for Brittany ran. As Nick gave him the ring it was the first good look at Brittany the guys had and it was clear it was taking everything she had not to cry. After he slid the ring onto her finger it was Brittany's turn.
While just a moment prior, Brittany was barely holding it together; once she began speaking to Jeff she pulled herself together. If anyone who ever doubted what she was capable of could hear her in that moment they would realize what fools they were. Brittany was eloquent and well-spoken as she expressed the depth of her love for Jeff and what they have together. As she took his ring from Santana, she bobbled it slightly, but soon slid it onto his finger. Each side of the bridal party had moved ever so slightly so they could get a better look at their friends as the minister pronounced them husband and wife. And while it's not said, it didn't take long for them to exchange their first kiss much to the delight of their family and friends.
Nick ended up tapping Jeff on the shoulder as the kiss seemed to go on a bit longer than usual which brought a slight laugh from the bridal party. "Sorry." Jeff said quietly as he held tightly to Brittany's hand. After the minister presented them to their guests, Santana handed Brittany back her bouquet so she and Jeff could head up the aisle when they were ready. Once they began to walk, Santana was quick to straighten her train and veil so it followed freely behind them. It wasn't till they'd passed through the archway at the end and Hunter and Brody did the bridal party follow suit.
"Ready my dear?" Nick said as he extended his arm to Santana.
"Lead the way!" Santana replied as she slid her arm through his before they proceeded down the steps. Slowly but surely the rest of the bridal party followed allowing the appropriate distance between them all as the photographer wanted to catch each couple coming back up the aisle. Once Trent and Amanda passed by them, Hunter and Brody headed up the aisle to begin dismissing the guests. While Hunter stood at the edge of the row with Thad's family he felt a tug on his arm. "Uncle Hunt." He smiled but soon felt the tug again.
"Not now sweetie." Cassie told her.
"But, he here." Gwen said.
"Do you want to help me princess?" Hunter asked as Brody was letting out the row across from his.
"Yes."
"Come here." Hunter said as he picked her up and set her on his hip before straightening her dress. "Let's do this. Tell Mommy, Daddy, and everyone else they can go."
"You can go." Gwen said as Hunter stepped aside to let them out. As they began to pass by Cassie looked at him as Donovan held Colin.
"It's okay."
"How is it you got a cute assistant?" Brody asked as they continued on their way.
"It's my undeniable charm." Hunter replied. "Right Gwen?" When she nodded Brody just shook his head. "What can I say, she's got good taste."
"Family bias."
"Come now, you know it's true. We've all got that undeniable charm."
"Okay that I'll agree with."