Two Steps Beyond
Part 38
Sebastian had just gotten out of the shower Friday morning when his phone went off with a text alert. "Blaine. Blaine!" He called out while pulling on a pair of boxers.
"What?" Blaine asked while walking into their room.
"We've got a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"Brody is stuck having to teach an extra class."
"Alright, now why is that a problem?"
"That would be because he promised Rachel he'd come and get her because of all the stuff they are bringing for the weekend."
"And he knows she won't be able to handle it all by herself, right?"
"Exactly." Blaine then looked at Sebastian who was continuing to get dressed while they talked. "Actually, there might be a way to fix this without either of us having to go get her?"
"How?"
"Hunter."
"You want to send Hunter to go get her. Bas, they get along, but I don't know if he'd be willing to go all that way."
"He wouldn't be going far, that's the thing. He had crew this morning."
"Already?"
"Yes. Remember, I start lacrosse in a week. Thankfully the schedule didn't change so our trip to Orlando is still good to go."
"Okay, so what does Hunter's practice have to do with it?"
"He was stopping in Brooklyn on his way back because Lexi and Cassie wanted cannoli."
"It's worth a shot; otherwise I'll go and get her. Just let me know, because I need to go and finish packing up the cooler in the kitchen."
"Will do." Sebastian then sat down on their bed and placed a call to Hunter. "Hey man, I didn't expect you to answer."
"Funny thing happens when phones ring, usually the person on the other end answers to see what the person calling wants."
"Funny. Now, are you done with practice?"
"Yes, why?" Hunter asked while getting into his car.
"I need a favor."
"Why do I not like the sound of this?"
"You're still heading into Brooklyn, right?"
"Yes, since our sisters won't eat cannoli from anywhere else. What do you need me to do Seb?"
"I need you to pick up Rachel because Brody is stuck teaching a second dance class."
"Fine, send me her address."
"Are you serious?"
"Would you rather I pitch a fit and make you beg me to pick her up?"
"No, I just didn't think it would be this easy."
"You should know by now I'm not an ass all the time, plus I'm too tired to come up with too many snippy replies. And it would be insane for you or Blaine to have to go all that way to get her when I'll be in the borough." Hunter then told Sebastian to hold on while he put the address he was sent in his GPS. "Let her know I should be there within the hour."
"Thank you so much man. Blaine and I both owe you."
"Don't worry about. I'll see you guys at Lexi and Cooper's."
Once Sebastian got off the phone with Hunter he walked into the kitchen where all the guys were helping Blaine. "Fear not, Hunter is going to go get her."
"Perfect, I'll call Brody and let him know."
"Why don't you call Rachel and I'll call Brody?"
"Okay, but why?"
"That's because you can stress the importance of being ready when Hunter arrives within the hour. Call it a gut feeling, but I don't think he's the type to like being kept waiting."
"Gotcha ya." While Blaine went to call Rachel, Sebastian sat down at the kitchen table and sent Brody a text saying everything was under control and that they see him and Brittany at Lexi's.
"Blaine's description of Hunter is pretty spot on." Thad said before sitting down next to Sebastian. "He's definitely cool, just intense."
"Yea. You know there must be something there that he and Santana didn't kill each other yesterday."
"I think she likes having someone else to banter with besides you." Beat told him.
"That's a very good way to put it. Are you guys all packed?"
"Yes." Dave replied. "But you might want to call over to the hotel and make sure Logan and the guys have the right subway information to get to Cooper and Lexi's.
"Good idea."
Just as he told Sebastian, Hunter pulled up outside of Rachel's building almost exactly an hour later. After looking around, he checked multiple times that he locked his car before heading up to her loft. Upon reaching the door he really hoped that she was ready to go, because he hated to be kept waiting. "Hi." Hunter looked the man that opened the door up and down and chuckled slightly upon realizing that this must be Kurt.
"Hey, is Rachel ready?"
"And who may I ask is here for her?"
"Does it really matter? Does she have random guys coming to the door asking for her? Rachel, I'm here."
"That was uncalled for."
"Well, I don't have time to wait."
"Let him in Kurt." At Rachel's insistence, Kurt pulled the door open further and stepped aside to let Hunter in. "I just have to grab one last bag and I'm good to go Hunter. The rest of our stuff is there at the door."
"Hunter…your Mother must not have liked you much to give you that name."
"Ah, such a witty replied." The annoyance was evident in Hunter's voice. "In battle of wits, you'd be unarmed." Just then Rachel came walking up with her bag over her shoulder. "Ready to go?"
"Yes, and thank you so much for this."
"Not a problem." Hunter then grabbed two bags by the door while Rachel grabbed the other.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"
"Kurt Hummel, meet Hunter Clarington."
"With a name like that you sound almost as pompous as Smythe."
"I'll let Seb know you send your regards."
"I should've known."
"Kurt now is not the time. I'll see you either late Sunday night or early Monday morning." Rachel said before she and Hunter walked out of the loft. "I'm sorry about that."
"You've got nothing to apologize for. He's everything Seb described. But after this brief meeting I can't help but wonder what the hell Blaine ever saw in him."
"He wasn't always like this."
"I'll take your word on it."
Since Hunter had been unsure about how the day was going to go, he was happy that he had packed a bag prior to leaving that morning. When he arrived at Cooper and Lexi's he backed in through the gate just like Blaine and Nick had done. With having that many cars at the house Cooper had recommend that to them and upon having them all there, he was correct. "Thank you Hunter." Blaine said after opening up his trunk so that they could put Rachel and Brody's bags in there.
"You're welcome, though next time you might want to warn me ahead of time."
"He wasn't?"
"He was." Rachel replied. "Needless to say, Kurt doesn't like him very much and Hunter wasn't rude to him at all."
"That reminds me, Seb; Kurt says I sound just as pompous as you. I take that as a compliment."
"You should from that…" Sebastian stopped himself from saying anything else since Rachel was there.
"Are Brittany and Brody here yet?" Rachel asked once they'd transferred everything to Blaine's car.
"They are in the house." Blaine told her, after which she headed inside as well. Once the door closed behind her Blaine and Sebastian walked up to Hunter.
"We're really sorry, we had no idea he was home." Blaine told him. "If I had known, I would've gotten her. I expected him to be at work."
"It's okay, really. Do you know if Lexi has heard from my sister?"
"They were on the phone when we arrived. She's already out on the island so we can head out whenever."
"I'd recommend the sooner the better because weekend traffic can be pretty brutal and it seems to start earlier each Friday."
"She said the same thing. Basically we were just waiting for you and Rachel to get here." Sebastian told him. "Are you sure you don't mind driving a few of the guys?"
"Not at all. Who's riding with me?"
"Thad, Dave and Beat."
"Works for me." The three of them then headed into the house to see if everyone was ready to go. It wasn't long after that everyone headed out to the cars.
"Now Jeff, please be careful." Sebastian told him while handing him the keys.
"I told you I will be." While Jeff spoke Cooper opened all three garage doors and a silly smirk came to Jeff's face.
"Remember, be careful."
"How is it Jeff is driving your car?" Logan asked.
"We were shy one seat and instead of having someone drive by themselves, we decided to let a couple take it. Since Nick has his car here and Wes isn't comfortable driving stick in the city, Jeff was the obvious choice."
"You know any of us would've paired up."
"We know." Blaine chimed in. "But Brittany wanted to ride in a convertible so…"
"I get it; you don't have to say anything else. We all know neither of you can say no to her."
When they finally arrived out in Southampton two hours later everyone was happy to stretch their legs. "This place is gorgeous Hunter." Rachel said once she was out of Blaine's car.
"Thank you, I'll pass your compliments onto my Mom." Just then Cassie called from the doorway so Hunter excused himself and headed her way.
"That's his sister?" Beat asked.
"It is." Sebastian replied. "But don't think twice about it because she has a boyfriend."
"Bummer. What is it with you guys having such hot older sisters?"
"Don't know."
Once Blaine and Sebastian had their bags, they headed over to Lexi and Cooper to give them a hand. "I've got this guys." Cooper said while trying to balance everything.
"Right." Blaine said before they each took a bag from him. Before Cooper had a chance to object a few more of the guys came over to give them a hand. "Isn't this easier than trying to do it all yourself?"
"Yes." Cooper replied begrudgingly before following everyone into the house. Once inside, they were all shown to where they'd be staying by either Cassie or Hunter. After they were all settled everyone changed into their suits before heading outside. When Blaine and Sebastian got outside they walked over to Nick, Jeff, Brody, and Wes.
"Taking in the scenery guys?" Sebastian asked after looking down towards the pool where all four of the girls were lying out.
"What do you think?" Jeff replied.
"Just double checking. Did you and Britt enjoy the drive?"
"Very much so. Now after driving it I understand when Cooper said to pay close attention to the speedometer."
"Yea, it rides pretty smooth so it's easy to not realize how fast you're going."
"Is there a reason you're all up here and not down there?" Blaine asked.
"We're going to go out on the boat with Hunter." Nick replied. "The girls weren't interested right now; they just wanted to get some sun. So they made him promise to take them out tomorrow."
"I'm sure he had no problems saying yes." Sebastian said.
"Even you couldn't say no to four bikini clad girls." Wes replied.
"True, especially with one of them being Britt."
"Are you two going to join us?" Hunter asked as he walked up behind them.
"B?"
"Sounds like fun."
"Beat, Thad, and Dave are already down there so we should probably get going." They were just about to head down the steps when Cassie came walking up to them. "Yes?"
"Remember, to keep it in check till you're out of the no wake zone. Don't need the neighbors bitching because you got antsy on the throttle."
"You're no fun." Hunter said with a smile before giving his sister a kiss on the cheek. "When should we be back?"
"By six for dinner." After getting that answer, they continued on their way but ended up stopping poolside so the guys could say goodbye.
"Now, don't have too much fun without us." Santana told them.
"We'll have fun; it just won't be the same type of fun." Sebastian replied. Once they were headed down the pier Santana looked at both Brittany and Hailey.
"I know you mentioned this at Blaine and Seb's the other morning Hailey, but those guys really are good looking."
"I couldn't agree with you more." Hailey replied.
Meanwhile back in Manhattan, Tasha was doing everything in her power to keep her current shoot on schedule. "How many more wardrobe changes do we have Kurt?"
"Three."
"Good, because I really would like to get out of here at a reasonable hour even though I'm going to be stuck in ridiculous traffic regardless."
"Going away for the weekend?"
"I am. I'm spending it with friends out on the island actually."
"It seems to be the thing to do this weekend."
"Why do you say that?"
"That's because Rachel and Brody are spending the weekend with friends as well." Tasha almost had to cover her mouth to stop from laughing. "I'm worried about Rachel though."
"And why is that may I ask?"
"I'm really not a fan of some of her new friends. And no, I'm not talking about Sebastian, though this new friend of hers is friends with him."
"That's to be expected."
"Who in their right mind would name their kid Hunter of all things?" This little bit of information was almost too much for Tasha to take. Knowing Hunter the way she did, she knew that the meeting between the two of them must not have been pleasant.
"Just because you don't like the name doesn't mean others feel the same way. Do you have plans for the weekend?"
"I've got plans for tonight but beyond that I don't know."
"Well, whatever you choose to do, have fun."
By the time the guys returned, they knew they'd made it back just in time because the smell of food was reaching all the way down to them. "You're back!" Brittany exclaimed while running towards them before leaping into Jeff's arms. "I missed you." She then gave him a kiss. "I missed you all actually."
"We missed you too Britt. Did you ladies have fun with the guys that stuck around?" Sebastian asked.
"We did. You missed out on some fun."
"What kind of fun?" Blaine asked.
"Lexi and Cassie had a chicken fight in the pool."
"I know who Lexi's partner was, but who was Cassie's?" Thad asked.
"Logan."
"That lucky son-of-a-bitch." Beat exclaimed.
"Let me guess, you think my sister is hot?" Hunter asked.
"Of course she is, or are you unlike Seb and don't admit it."
"No, I'll admit it but you'd be smart to back off."
"Seb said the same thing, she's got a boyfriend."
"Not anymore."
"Since when?" Sebastian asked.
"Two days ago, she dumped his ass. I say good riddance because I couldn't stand him."
"So why should Beat stay away?" Blaine asked.
"That would be because she needs some breathing room. It was pretty ugly."
"So if it wasn't ugly you wouldn't object?"
"Go for it though she usually prefers guys her own age. And the fact that you can't legally drink is a bit of a downfall."
They were just finishing dinner when Tasha came walking out onto the deck. "Do we even want to know how you got here so quickly?" Lexi asked.
"My dear boss was coming out here this weekend and offered to give me a lift."
"That still doesn't answer Lexi's question. How did you get here?" Cassie asked.
"Helicopter."
"That's one way to avoid weekend traffic. There is food in the kitchen if you're hungry."
"The only things I want to do right now are change into my suit and soak in the hot tub."
"It might be a bit crowded." Lexi said before pointing towards the hot tub.
"How long have they been in there?"
"Not too long, but considering the girls want to sit around a fire later they shouldn't be too long." Cassie replied just as Cooper came up and handed all three of them drinks.
"This is just what I need, thank you Coop."
"You are welcome. I figured as much after seeing the look on your face when you arrived. Rough day?"
"Long day. I need to say, I really should shoot all of my editorials with you, Blaine and Seb. The guys we had today were driving Simon batty."
"Just think, at least you didn't have to deal with drama." Cooper told her before sitting down next to Lexi.
"Speaking of drama, Kurt met Hunter today." They all just looked at Tasha after she spoke.
"Do I even want to know?" Cassie asked.
"He doesn't like him."
"Does that really surprise you?" Lexi said. "I'm sure he considered Hunter arrogant."
"He did, and he wasn't surprised at all that he and Seb were friends."
"Knowing your sense of control, just how did you manage to behave considering you knew you were going to be spending the weekend with them?" Cassie asked.
"I was surprisingly well behaved, but that was probably do to the fact that I was already frustrated so I really didn't think much about it. But I'm pretty sure I stopped myself from laughing numerous times."
"Laughing about what?" They all turned to see Hunter standing in front of them.
"I was just telling them about my day. How are you Hunter?"
"I'm good. Cass, do you still have a guitar in your room?"
"I do, why?"
"Because we just might need one."
"I thought Blaine and Jeff both brought theirs." Cooper said.
"They did, but I didn't bring mine and when they found out I could play they asked if I wanted to join them."
"Hope your skills are sharp because they're both really good."
"I think they are, but thanks for the warning Cooper. But I'm pretty sure I can hold my own. Remember, I did hear them at Nationals. Do I have to look for it or is it in the stand?"
"It should be in the stand next to my dresser." After Hunter was in the house Cassie looked at the three of them. "I guess we're going to have some entertainment this evening."
"It doesn't surprise me; these guys do it all the time." Cooper told them. "And unlike some people, I don't mind them doing it because these guys can actually sing."
"When are Jay and his family getting here?" Lexi asked.
"Early tomorrow morning. They're happy we brought Jocelyn and Braeden along because now they don't feel bad bringing Victoria." They were all still talking when Blaine and Jeff came walking onto the deck. "Getting your guitars?"
"How'd you know?" Blaine asked.
"Hunter just asked if mine was in the house since you two asked him to join you."
"Was it?" Jeff asked.
"Yes and I bet he's inside now playing."
Once Blaine and Jeff walked inside, they saw Hunter sitting on the couch doing just what Cassie said he'd be doing. "You're good." Blaine told him.
"Thank you. Now, do you guys have your favorites or do you just sing whatever?"
"It depends on the moment." Jeff replied. "But considering we're all together, who knows. If something is requested that you don't know feel free to pass on the guitar to Nick, Seb, or Thad."
"Got it."
While the three of them played for a bit inside, Sebastian and Brittany came walking inside. "Are the rest of us not allowed to hear you all play?" Sebastian asked.
"No, we were just going through some of our favorites with Hunter." Blaine told him.
"Alright, but you should know everyone is waiting."
"Is there something you need Britt?" Jeff asked.
"No, I just decided to come with Sebby." She then leaned down and gave him a kiss. "Are you guys going to come out soon?"
"We are. Why don't you tell everyone to make their way up to the deck?"
"I can do that. Come on Sebby." Sebastian just smiled at the guys before letting Brittany lead him out of the house.
"I never took him as someone to be called Sebby." Hunter told Blaine and Jeff.
"She's the only one that can, even I don't." Blaine told him.
"Thanks for the heads up."