A/N YAY! A New Chapter! We're Back! So, my co author and I have set ourselves a goal of an average of 10k words per chapter. We haven't quite reached that, but we're trying. In an effort to get a little closer to that goal, we decided to allow the racers to have a chance to blow off some steam, and things kind of a got a little...well, you'll see! LOL.
Reviews always welcome!
...
Chapter Six
Oompa!
Blaine led Kurt out of the airport, only to find that a monsoon storm had blown in while they'd been inside. Rain poured down, drenching the ground, as lightning lit up the sky. They stood under the awning, away from the main doors of the terminal, knowing their friends would keep the two men from bothering them.
Blaine wrapped his arms tightly around Kurt, who buried his face in the shorter man's shoulder, taking deep breaths. "Hey, it's okay, Kurt. I've got you, and I'm never going to let you go."
Kurt shivered against him. "I'm sorry. I think I'm just tired, and overwhelmed, and having those two constantly nipping at my heels is just making it worse."
"I know, sweetheart, I know. Right now they are at the bottom of the pack. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll get eliminated this leg."
Kurt let out a choked laugh. "Please let it be so!"
Blaine hugged him tighter and kissed him softly on the lips. "Come on, let's just sit on that bench over there and watch the storm for a while. It really is beautiful."
They watched the storm for more than an hour, when Kurt fell asleep. Blaine was content to hold him as the storm faded away.
…
"I think that was probably the most peaceful moment of my life," Blaine said, looking into the camera. "Sitting there, holding Kurt and watching that storm, the smell of the rain just seemed to wash all our cares away, if only for a little while. I could have sat there for the rest of my life and have been perfectly happy."
...
Mercedes came out to find them shortly before four in the morning to let them know that security was opening up. Blaine hated waking the sleeping man, but knew it had to be done if they wanted to make their flight.
As they reentered the airport and grabbed their packs, they saw Rachel and Finn at the ticket desk. Rachel looked very happy as the agent handed them boarding passes.
"Looks like their gambit paid off," Kurt said, guessing that the other team had made it onto the first flight. As they moved towards the security checkpoint, he couldn't help noticing the very displeased expression on Adam and Chandler's faces. He couldn't stop the smirk, knowing that once again the two men would be on the later flight.
They were almost past security when the main doors opened, and several police officers streamed in, heading towards the jewelry store where Kurt had spotted the engagement ring earlier. One of the officers rushed towards the security checkpoint.
"Halt! No one leaves until we've thoroughly examined your bags!" the older man said. Blaine and Kurt frowned, but lifted their packs back onto the counter.
"What's going on?" Kurt asked.
"The jewelry store has been robbed," the police officer replied, once he'd searched both their bags. "Whoever did it disarmed the security camera. They were clearly a professional."
Kurt and Blaine exchanged a glance. This was no coincidence. Everywhere they went, something was getting stolen. Was it a member of the crew? One of the other racers?
Another thought occurred to both men, although they each kept it to themselves. Could it be Sebastian? Was that why he was following them?
…
"Something strange was definitely going on," Kurt said. "All these thefts in the same places we've visited? And Sebastian lurking around? I don't believe in coincidences. There had to be a connection somewhere, but I couldn't exactly tell the cop my suspicions. What would I have said? 'Hey, I think the guy who is creeping on my boyfriend, that I may or may not have hallucinated following us around the world, is stealing things, possibly to frame us?' Yeah, that would just go over well…"
…
Sue tightened her jawline as she watched the cops searching bags, nearly offended that they seemed to think Klaine could have done it. "Thwarted by donut eating rats, again!" she said.
"What's that coach?" Becky questioned, not taking her eyes off the cops either.
The blonde woman grumbled. "I still find it hard to believe cops are professional at this stuff when they will drop a case for a baker's dozen of fried dough circles."
"I thought you were a cop, coach," Becky replied, furrowing her brow.
"I'm better than a cop, Becky. I was the one who finally caught the likes of Ted Bundy and Ed Gein. And I'm the only person in the world who knows the true identity of the culprit in the Black Dahlia case and Jack the Ripper."
Becky was quiet for a moment. Just like she was fairly certain there was no way Sue could have been around when the Golden Gate Bridge was built, she was more than positive both the Black Dahlia case and Jack the Ripper were years before the woman's time. However, she didn't point it out.
"And I'm pretty sure she only got that name after she was killed," Sue added under her breath.
"What?" Becky asked.
"Elizabeth Short wasn't really that short."
Now, the small blonde girl had absolutely no idea what Sue was talking about.
"Becky, did you get the condoms and pudding I asked you to get?"
"Sure, coach."
"Then it's time to make a mess."
…
"All teams are now making their way to Athens, Greece. Once they land, they must make their way by taxi to Dimotiki Agora, an open air market place, and search for the marked stall."
…
Blaine studied the two men seated a row ahead of them, across the aisle, trying to hear what they were saying over the sound of the engines and the pressurized air, but only catching a word here or there. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop on them, but after the talk he'd had with Wes the night before, he was more than curious what they were talking about.
David suddenly stood and marched towards the back of the plane. Blaine couldn't read the older man's expression, but he seemed to be moving with determination. Was he mad? Upset with what Wes had confessed to him?
He briefly considered moving to sit beside his friend to ask if everything was okay, but after a moment, Wes also stood and made his way towards the back of the plane. Blaine turned in his seat to see where they were going, raising an eyebrow when Wes paused outside the bathroom, glancing both ways to make sure no one was looking before slipping inside.
Blaine turned back in his seat, not sure whether to be happy that his friends were finally getting their heads out of their asses, or perturbed that apparently they were going to pop their cherries by joining the mile high club.
…
When Wes told me last night he thought he might be bisexual, and that he had feelings for David, I was glad he was finally admitting to himself what our friends and I have always known. But perhaps that...conversation could have waited until we were back on the ground? Not in an airplane bathroom…"
...
"Something wrong, sweetie?" Kurt asked, turning from the window and noticing the strange look on his boyfriend's face. Blaine startled and looked slightly sheepish for a moment.
"Um…" he said, furrowing his eyebrows. He wasn't exactly sure how to put this. It wasn't that he didn't think he had a right to tell Kurt, but he was quite sure that Kurt wouldn't approve of someone's first time being in an airplane bathroom. Although, that gave him another idea. If only Wes and David hadn't already snagged the one at the back of the plane.
"Um?" Kurt questioned, concern flooding his face. "Blaine, are you alright?"
The curly haired man shook his head and tried to regain himself. "Sorry. Just, I think Wes confessed to David about his feelings and they both slipped off to the bathroom."
Kurt wrinkled his nose, an action that Blaine found absolutely adorable, but wasn't surprised to see. "Are they sure that's the best place to finally give in to each other?"
Blaine shrugged. "Maybe they didn't want to wait?" he suggested.
The blue eyed man wrinkled his nose a second time and let out a snort. "Well then, maybe they'll at least stop complaining about everyone else trying to get their rocks off after this."
"Mm," his boyfriend hummed. He had to admit that Kurt did have a point. "Well then," he said, looking back down the aisle for a moment. "Thin walls be damned." The other man burst into laughter.
...
"There!" Sam pointed out, drawing not only Mercedes' attention, but Blaine's as well as they moved through the marketplace. They made their way to the clue box, grimacing at the display of meats beside it.
"Roadblock! Who is ready to buy the cow?"
…
"In this Roadblock, one team member must eat half a roasted cow's head, including brains, tongue, and eyeball."
…
"I'll do it," Sam and Blaine both said, as Nick and Jeff and Wes and a particularly pleased looking David arrived, followed shortly after by Will and Emma and Finn and Rachel.
There were a few raised eyebrows when Emma took a seat beside Sam, Blaine, Jeff and Wes at the counter, although no one was surprised when Finn joined them. There was no way Rachel would be tricked into another meat eating task again.
Sam was making quick work of the feast, his rather large mouth letting him almost inhale the meat, but Blaine was managing to keep pace with him. Wes was also managing well, but Jeff and Finn both seemed to stumble when it came to the brains and eyeball.
…
"That eyeball was like chewing a piece of rubber, and had about the same flavor," Jeff described as he looked into the camera. "It was pretty nasty. The brains weren't so bad. They tasted okay, at least, but the texture on my tongue just made me want to gag."
...
Emma was doing her best, but there was no way she could keep up with the males.
Sam finished just as the teams from the second flight arrived, receiving their clue as Blaine almost choked on the last bite, trying to get it to go down. He managed, and opened his mouth to show the judge that he had swallowed, and was given the clue just as plates were set in front of Sue, Brittany and Chandler.
…
"That was probably the worst thing I have ever eaten," Blaine said, frowning at the camera. "At first it wasn't so bad, but after a while, the taste and texture just kept making me gag, and I couldn't swallow. It kind of made me wish I had a beer to wash it down, just to burn the taste out of my mouth after each bite."
...
As Kurt waited for Blaine to wipe the grease from his hands and face, he spotted something in the stall next to them. It was a hand carved cameo brooch, showing a white tree against a black background. The tree was so detailed, you could see little apples dotted among the branches.
"Pretty," he murmured out loud, as Blaine ripped open the clue.
"Find the marked cars and drive yourselves to Archaia Olympia, and search for your next clue," Blaine read. They began winding their way through the crowded market, searching for the exit to the road where the cars were said to be parked, Blaine leading the way, holding tightly to Kurt's hand so as not to get separated. He'd just spotted the archway leading where they wanted to go, but froze in his tracks when he spotted the man leaning against the wall beside the arch, appearing to be reading a newspaper.
Blaine felt his whole body tense up. This was getting ridiculous! There was no way he could be hallucinating Sebastian in all these places! Not to mention, how did he keep knowing exactly where to find them?! Was he deliberately trying to sabotage their attempts to win this race?
…
"I'm not going crazy, I know Sebastian has been following us, but how? Is someone helping him? I just hope Kurt never finds out. It will send him into an anxiety attack, or worse!"
...
The meerkat peeked over the top of his newspaper, a seductive grin on his face. He raised a hand and mimed a blowjob in Blaine's direction, an action which had the latter ready to throw up the contents of the meal he'd just ingested, which didn't sit well because he had just squashed down that feeling once.
He felt a tug on his hand, knowing that Kurt was trying to coax him into moving forward again, but for the moment, he couldn't take his eyes off the weasel, even though he really wanted to and he wondered why no one else had seemed to see him.
"Blaine?" Kurt's voice rang out, loud enough to snap the other out of his trance like state and he whipped his head around to look at him. "Sweetie, are you okay?" the taller man asked, looking concerned.
A sigh left Blaine's mouth. "Fine, fine, sorry," he said, trying to grin at Kurt. He glanced back in the direction of where he'd seen Sebastian, but just like the other times before, the man had vanished without a trace. "Let's get to the cars," he added instead, trying to brush it off.
…
"Ugh, I can't believe I ate that!" Emma said, scrubbing her hands and face with a wet nap as Will opened their clue.
…
"I can definitely cross competitive eater off my lists of career options," Emma said with a little laugh. "I have no idea how I managed to finish eating that disgusting thing. I guess I just put myself in a trance so I wouldn't have to think about the taste of the way it felt in my mouth."
...
Wes and Jeff had finished several minutes before her, and Finn had just gotten his clue when she'd taken her last bite. As they were leaving the stall, several police officers were heading towards the next stall over. "I wonder what that's about?" she asked.
Will was frowning. "I don't know, but haven't you noticed how many times the police have shown up wherever we've been? At the airport this morning, The night market in Malaysia, that hotel in Thailand?"
"Now that you mention it, yes, I do recall seeing the police in those places. That's strange."
"Indeed," Will said. "We don't really have time to stop and think about it now, though. We have a race to run. Let's go. I'm pretty sure the cars are this way."
…
Sue was more interested in keeping an eye on the stall next to her than actually partaking in the ridiculous task. However, she was well aware that she and Becky could not get eliminated. If they got eliminated and their target was still in the race, she would lose her track. That could not happen.
One eye still on that stall, now with the cops swarming around it, she took half the eyeball in one bite. Sue could stomach anything. Even if she hadn't had a solid meal since 1987.
The truth was, she'd not only had her tear ducts removed, but she'd had a procedure to permanently numb her taste buds, so she couldn't really taste what she was eating. Granted, she never told anyone this because they all didn't believe such a procedure could be done.
"What did you do, get your tongue scorched?" a rival cheerleading coach had asked, laughing her silly cheap bleached blonde dye job off. Sue had found it nearly impossible to keep her eyes off the middle-aged former pageant queen's horrible lip injections and chest that made sandbags look like an A cup.
"How dare you, Katie Couric," she'd replied, and backhanded the woman before marching off with her hands balled into fists at the sides.
Sue swallowed the other half of the eyeball down whole, not even pausing to chew. "Done," she stated firmly, one eye still on the cops next door while the officiate checked her plate.
"Well done, coach!" Becky cheered, clapping frantically.
"At ease, Becky," Sue responded as she joined her with their clue. "Let's go roast these ducks."
…
"I think I see the clue box!" Mercedes said from the backseat as Sam turned into the parking lot. They parked in the designated area and ran over to the box.
"Participate in four Olympic sports to receive your next clue."
…
"Teams must alternate to compete in Shot Put, Hammer Throw, Discus, and Javelin. They must receive a competitive score in each event to advance to the next and receive their clue."
…
"Great," Mercedes said, tone sarcastic. "This is going to take all night."
"Come on, Mercedes, I have faith in you!" Sam said, kissing her cheek.
They were led out to a field, and Sam decided to go first. He lifted the shot put with a little grunt, and after finding his balance, made his first attempt. It was a pretty decent try, only falling about two inches shy of the required minimum distance. Kurt and Blaine arrived as he was lining up for his second attempt.
His second throw was closer, but still not quite far enough. He had to wait for Kurt to make his first attempt before he could try again. The auburn haired man fell just short of the line as well.
"Come on, Kurt!" Blaine shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Think Trunchbull!"
Kurt frowned at his boyfriend. "Her specialty the hammer throw!" he shouted back.
"So?" the darker man said. "She still did shot put!"
Kurt shook his head and waited for Sam to make his next attempt. The blonde's throw just landed on the line, qualifying them to move on to the next event.
Kurt was happy for his friends, but still a little frustrated as he made his second attempt. Again he was just a little short of the goal, and Wes and David and Nick and Jeff were just racing out onto the field. They would have to take turns until they were given the green light to move on to the next event.
Mercedes had stepped up to the Hammer Throw with determination. She stared down the field to the marker that indicated how far she needed to throw it, and took a deep breath, and then spun into the throw, timing her release for the maximum flight. Sam screamed and cheered as the official raised the green flag. Mercedes had done it on her first attempt.
…
"I couldn't believe I did it so easily!" Mercedes was grinning from ear to ear as she looked into the camera. "I've never done any kind of track and field event before."
"Beginners luck, baby!" Sam said, putting his arm around her shoulder. "I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you!"
"I'm proud of me, too!"
...
David's first attempt at the shot put failed miserably, as he nearly dropped the heavy stone ball on his foot. Nick did a little better, managing to throw it about two thirds the required distance. Kurt was just lining up his third attempt when Finn and Rachel arrived. He swore softly to himself when once again it just fell short of the line.
David's second attempt was much better, getting within a foot of the line. Nick also improved on his second attempt, while Sam seemed to be having trouble at the Discus. They were all stunned when tiny little Rachel got the shot put on her first attempt.
Kurt followed her on his fourth attempt, managing to land on the line this time. By now Will and Emma, Sue and Becky, and Adam and Chandler were arriving. There was no sign of Santana and Brittany.
Sam finally got the Discus on his sixth attempt, while Blaine and Finn were both on their third attempt on the Hammer Throw. Blaine just barely made it, and they moved on to discus. Kurt surprised himself by getting it on his first attempt, and they moved on to Javelin, where Mercedes was on her second attempt.
"Come on Mercedes!" Sam called out. "You can do this! We're just ahead!" He threw Kurt a good natured grin.
"Nothing wrong with a little friendly competition," Kurt said, shrugging, not taking his eyes off Blaine. "Gaga, he looks gorgeous."
Sam rolled his eyes fondly. "Look, I'm sorry you haven't had the time together you deserve."
Kurt sighed, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Adam and Chandler aren't helping."
"Why won't they take a hint?"
The other man shrugged, kicking at the grass on the field for a moment. "Chandler is a clingy little bug who made it all up in his head and spread it like a disease to everyone who would listen. Adam...Adam I'm not sure. I mean, he's the one who dumped me. As if I would ever take him back now."
Sam nodded his head, shouting a little more encouragement at Mercedes, while on his other side, Rachel could be heard trying to cheer Finn on.
No more was said between the two of them, and Kurt turned back to Blaine. "You got this, sweetie! Think of a caveman throwing a spear!"
"You want to get that wild?" Blaine called back, momentarily halting as he was about to make another attempt.
Kurt just laughed. "Just do it! Think of the mark as like a wild boar or something!"
"Kurt, that's totally barbaric!" Rachel peeped. He shrugged.
"Vicious and deadly," he whispered under his breath.
Mercedes shouted in triumph as her third try landed well within the accepted limit, and Sam hugged her tight when they were presented with the clue. Blaine took a deep breath and made his second throw. It landed next to Mercedes' spear.
"That's my man!" Kurt said, rushing forward to hug him. "Bringing home the meat!"
They ripped open the clue.
"Drive to Vikos Gorge and search for the next clue."
…
Santana knew they were in last place, but she wasn't about to rush the blonde woman as she tried to finish eating the cow's head. Brittany had already nearly choked twice, and was looking a little green around the gills.
"It's okay, sweetie. You're doing your best."
"I'm sorry, Sanny! I don't know why I'm having so much trouble."
"It's hot, and you've already eaten so much of it. Sip some water, try and cool down." The Latina was kicking herself. She should have done this Roadblock herself. Brittany looked so miserable. "If you can't finish it, we'll take the penalty. I just don't want you to suffer!" She was recalling the pain she'd felt unrolling those hay bales on the last race. There was no way she would let this sweet, innocent woman go through anything like that.
In response, Brittany threw up.
"Okay, we're taking the penalty," Santana said to the PA.
…
I didn't care if we were out of the race at that point. I was not going to let Britt go through the agony I did the previous race. Besides, the plan was never to win the million dollars. The plan was to make sure Kurt and Blaine don't get eliminated. I'm just upset I won't be here to drag those other two bastardos if they interfere with Kurt and Blaine again. Who knows, maybe this will be a non elimination leg. But whatever. I just can't stand to see my Britt looking so miserable."
...
Madison nodded. "Since she already attempted the task, the penalty will be applied at the pit stop. Here's the next clue."
…
Emma cheered Will on as he made his eighth attempt at the shot put. Sue had gotten it on her first attempt, and now Becky was making her fourth try on the Hammer Throw. Chandler was in the same boat as Will, and Emma secretly hoped the slimy man would drop the ball on his foot and they'd be forced to leave the competition.
Of course she'd never admit that out loud.
Will let out a breath as he set to try again, just as Santana and Brittany arrived. Emma noticed the blonde woman looked pretty terrible. "Is she okay?" she asked Santana, as the Latina waited beside her when Britt joined the line for the shot put.
"She made herself sick trying to eat that crap. I hate myself right now. I should have done that roadblock."
"Oh, honey," Emma said, hugging the younger woman. "I'm sorry you feel like that, and I'm sorry Britt made herself sick."
The dark haired beauty gave her a watery smile. "Thank you. I think I needed that."
A shout from the field drew their attention as Will finally scored, and he and Emma moved on to Hammer Throw.
…
"Come on Chandler, you useless idiot! Put your back into it!" Adam shouted. "You're wasting too much time! My Gran can throw better than that!"
Chandler turned to glare at the taller man. "Well I didn't see you volunteering to go first, asshole!"
"Just get it done!" Adam shouted back. Chandler rolled his eyes and turned back to the task at hand. He imagined the point where he needed the ball to land as Adam's face, and with a grin, he let it fly. Shouting in triumph when the stone crashed straight through where he imagined Adam's nose was.
…
"That was quite satisfying, imagining the ball crushing Adam's face. Too bad it wasn't for real."
…
"Take your time, sweetie," Santana called out to Brittany, who was still pretty shaky from earlier. She had stopped on the way here to buy the girl some Gatorade and grabbed some paper towels and ice to cool her down, but she had thrown up again as they had gotten out of the car in the parking lot. The blonde had insisted on at least trying to get through the challenge, refusing to just give up.
…
"I know Sanny was worried about me, but I didn't want to give up yet. Lord Tubbington would have been so disappointed in me."
...
"Closed!" Mercedes said as they pulled up to the gate at Vikos Gorge. "They don't open until sunrise!"
"Guess we're camping again," Sam said.
Mercedes wasn't very thrilled with the idea. It was already starting to get chilly. "Maybe we can sleep in the car," she said, as Kurt and Blaine pulled in behind them.
Kurt frowned at the sign. He just knew Adam and Chandler would take the opportunity to make things extremely uncomfortable for them. Blaine wrapped his arms around him, resting his chin on his shoulder.
"Don't think about them right now, Kurt," Blaine whispered in his ear. "You'll just work yourself into a panic attack or something. Come on. You need to eat something, you've barely eaten all day. At least eat the rest of the fruit we picked up at the last pit stop. I think there are still a couple of apples left."
Kurt sighed, and turned in the shorter man's arms. "I love how you try to take care of me and make sure all my needs are met. I am hungry, and apples sound good right now. Wish I could have a cup of tea, too, but I guess that will have to wait."
Blaine smiled at him. "I promise as soon as we get to the Pit Stop, I will make you a cup myself."
Kurt smiled and kissed him. "Love you."
"Love you too. Now get back in the car and eat. I'm going to talk to Sam and Mercedes. And here comes Nick and Jeff too. You try and make yourself comfortable, and I'll be back in a few minutes."
Kurt sighed, and kissed him once more before slipping back into the car.
"Hey, guys," Blaine said as Nick and Jeff got out of their car.
"Hey," Jeff greeted. "How are you two holding up?"
Blaine shrugged. "Kurt stressing a little. He's worried about Adam and Chandler messing with us tonight, since it looks like we're camping out, and now there aren't as many people around to block them out."
Nick shook his head. "We'll do everything we can to keep those two psychos under control, I promise."
Blaine smiled at his two friends, even as Wes and David arrived and exited their car.
"What's up?" David asked.
"It's closed until morning. We're camping in our cars tonight," Blaine informed them.
Wes didn't look very happy. "It's going to be damn cold tonight," he said.
David shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eye. "We can share a sleeping bag, preserve some body heat."
Blaine rolled his eyes, and moved on to talk with Sam as they waited for the others to arrive. It wasn't long before Finn and Rachel and Sue and Becky arrived, but it seemed to take a long time before Will and Emma got there. Unfortunately, Adam and Chandler were right behind them.
"Where are Santana and Brittany?" Kurt asked. He'd added half a dozen layers to his outfit to try and keep warm, even as Sam and Blaine gathered wood to start a fire.
"Brittany apparently got really sick at the Roadblock," Emma said. "They took the penalty, which they'll face at the Pit Stop, and were still struggling at the last task. Brittany had just gotten through the shot put when we left."
"I hope she'll be okay," Blaine said, overhearing the conversation.
"Me too," Will said.
It was another half hour before the two women arrived. By then they had a nice fire going, and Finn had even produced a large package of marshmallows that he was sharing with everyone.
Well, everyone except Sue, Adam, and Chandler. Becky had been enticed to join them, but Sue had declared that roasting marshmallows was for wusses, and had then wandered off into the dark. Adam and Chandler had built their own little campfire on the other side of the line of cars, and seemed to be arguing heatedly, if quietly.
Brittany looked a little better after eating a couple of the sweet treats, and drinking more Gatorade at Santana's insistence.
"Anybody got a deck of cards?" Becky asked, grinning mischievously. "We can play strip poker."
Blaine raised an eyebrow while Kurt shook his head.
"Becky," Kurt started gently. "Some of us are gay."
She shrugged. "Never stopped me before!"
"No one has any cards," Santana said. "But I got another idea. We can all be a bunch of teenagers right now." She looked around the circle and smirked. "So, Will, truth or dare?"
The older man looked a bit taken aback, and at first they thought he might not go along with it, but after a moment he shrugged. "Dare."
Santana smirked. "Damn, none of us are drunk." She shook her head and thought for a moment. "I dare you to take a leak on Adam and Chandler's car."
"Ew!" Emma exclaimed. "Do it, Will!"
Will looked from his fiance to the others, and then over to where they could just see the other two men at their own little fire pit. After a short hesitation, he got up and moved down the line of cars to the one driven by the two sociopaths, maneuvering just out of sight enough so as not to expose himself to the ladies, and lowered his zipper. After almost a minute, they heard him zip back up and then he was walking back towards them.
He was greeted with a round of golf claps from the group, including the camera and sound crews. He took a little bow before reclaiming his seat next to Emma. "Okay, Becky, Truth or Dare?" he asked.
"Dare, bitches!" the short blonde said almost immediately.
Will considered for a moment. "I dare you to stuff as many marshmallows in your mouth as you can!"
Becky reached for the pack of marshmallows. "Chubby bunny, bitches!" She started to stuff as many as she could into her mouth.
Kurt couldn't help laughing. "Oh my god, you look like a rabid rabbit!"
"Chwud-dy bubby," Becky choked out around the marshmallows in her mouth. She'd lost count of how many she'd shoved in. But she didn't think she could get anymore in and tried her best to chew them all down and swallow. "Okay, gay Blaine. Truth or dare?"
Blaine thought about saying Dare, but realized this girl was just mental enough to tell him to strip, so thought better of it. "Truth."
Becky tapped her chin in thought. "What is the most undapper thought in your head right now?" she asked.
The hazel eyed man blushed. "Uh, so what happens if I refuse to answer?"
Santana piped up, since she started the game. "If anyone refuses to answer a truth or do a dare, you get a death penalty, which you have to do, no exceptions. If we had alcohol, I'd say you have to take a shot if you refuse, but we don't, so normal rules."
Blaine frowned. "I'm not sure what that means. I've always played Prep School Rules, which means having to sing something embarrassing, like 'I'm a Little Teapot.'"
The Latina snickered. "That's so...clean version. In real truth or dare, if you refuse, you get a death penalty. And they're usually meant to be more of a challenge than dares."
Blaine still didn't know what she meant by a death penalty, but decided to just fess up. "Okay fine. My most undapper thought right now is about locking myself in the car with Kurt and fogging up the windows. Happy?"
Becky shrugged. "Then it's your turn, gay Blaine."
He took a breath to get his blush under control, and considered the group. "Mercedes, Truth or Dare?"
"Truth, white boy," the dark skinned diva said. She definitely wasn't going with dare when she wasn't drunk.
"Is Sam a good kisser?"
Mercedes paused for a moment as Sam glanced over at her. "Well," she finally said. "I think I would have given him up long ago if I didn't like kissing him. So yes, he is. Don't let his mouth fool you, he's damn good with it."
"Wanky," Santana said, smirking.
Mercedes glanced around the circle. "Rachel, truth or dare?" she said.
Rachel studied her shrewdly for a moment. "Dare."
The woman had something on the tip of her tongue, something that she wouldn't have had any trouble dishing out at the last race, but Rachel had been a fair bit calmer this time, so she decided she wouldn't go that route. "I dare you to admit which of the guys here you would screw if we were all free real estate."
Rachel's eyes went round. She hadn't really expected that. "Um, just to clarify, you want me to name the guys I would have sex with if I wasn't dating Finn, and the others weren't gay or taken?"
"Yes, exactly," Mercedes said, nodding her head.
"Oh, Okay. Well, Finn of course. And Blaine. And Kurt."
Kurt and Blaine both glanced at each other, not knowing exactly what to say to that.
"I guess it's true what they say," Sam said, and everyone glanced at him. "The girls always want to sleep with the gay guys." Santana snorted.
"While you're not wrong, the real saying is all the best guys are either too young, too old, taken, or gay. Guess it's your turn man hands. Make it good."
Rachel studied each face around her. "Okay, Emma, Truth or Dare?"
The doe-eyed woman glanced around at them all for a moment. She could play it safe. But running this race wasn't playing it safe. "Dare," she said.
Rachel's first thought was to tell the redhead to eat a piece of unwashed fruit, but after seeing her eat that barbaric cow's head earlier, she realized that wouldn't be much of a dare. "I dare you to let out a string of the dirtiest swear words you can think of. I want to hear at least six cuss words, more if you can!"
Emma blinked. She didn't think that anyone would ask her to speak so crudely, but she supposed no one would actually hear what she said if this aired on TV because they would bleep her out. So the only ones who would ever hear the words, were the people right here right now.
"Okay," she said, still not completely sure. "Fuck, shit, bitch, jackass, damn, asshole, whore, cocksucker...I'm not sure what else."
"I don't think damn is a cuss word," Rachel said, but smiled. "Other than that, I'm impressed!"
Emma cleared her throat and looked around the circle. "Wes, truth or dare?"
"Truth?" he said, not sounding too sure of his decision.
The woman noticed the subtle nudges a few of the others were giving her and she thought she might have an idea. "How does David make you feel?"
The Asian man's blush was even darker than Blaine's had been. "Like I finally know who I am."
"I'd say that's a good enough answer," Emma said.
Wes smiled shyly at her, silently thanking her for the support. "Kurt, Truth or Dare?"
Kurt smirked at Wes knowingly and crossed his arms over his chest. Blaine might have been more careful, but he wasn't going to be. "Dare," he said.
Wes considered for a moment. He could be deviant if he wanted to be. And tonight he wanted to be. "Go over there and tell Adam what a tiny little prick he has and how he could never satisfy you like Blaine can."
Kurt raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the two men. "You really think he's worth that kind of effort?" he asked, posing the question to the whole group.
"He dumped you," Mercedes said. "Let him know exactly what he threw away."
He stood up and glanced at Blaine for a moment. "Well then, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to milk it for all it's worth. It's so boring just telling." He looked back at Blaine. "You trust me, right?"
Blaine smiled at the twinkle in Kurt's eye. "Always."
Kurt leaned down and kissed Blaine sweetly. "Well then, I'm really going to fuck with his head for a moment. Would you all care to see a free show?" He gestured for them to follow him. "Oh, Adam?" he said in a sing-song voice, approaching the two of them.
The British man looked up at him with a smirk. "Have you finally come to your senses and remembered how you were meant to be my love forever?"
Kurt chuckled and lowered his eyes seductively, stepping forward a bit closer. "Oh, I have come to my senses about something. Other than British accents are so hot and sexy." Not that he actually felt that way anymore. But, he did want to fuck with Adam's head.
Adam leaned forward a bit. "I knew you'd come back to me."
The blue eyed man looked at him with a soft smile and his eyes half lidded. He leaned in closer, inwardly gagging at how close they were. "I know something else you might want to know," he said, carrying on that seductive tone.
"What's that, Luv?"
Kurt would mentally reward himself later for not throwing up. Another smirk crossed his face and he started off with that seduction in his voice. "That you, my dear sweet, Adam…" He paused and then took several steps back, tone dropping flat. "Have a tiny little baby cock that could never satisfy me the way Blaine can."
The smile dropped from Adam's face in confusion. "What?"
Kurt reached back for Blaine's hand, pulling him closer. "This man right here, has prime real estate. That pecker you're packing, could barely please a baby doll."
"How dare you!" Adam shouted. "I'm ten times the man he is!"
Kurt didn't back down and got back up in Adam's face, glaring at him this time. "I'm a thousand times the man you are, and I'm not even an alpha!" He turned around to go back to the group. "Let's go Blaine, love."
Blaine held him back for a moment. "You're way more Alpha than that prick is, Kurt!" And to prove it, he kissed him, knowing Kurt wouldn't be able to resist, and take control.
Kurt kissed him back, gripping his shirt by the lapel and pulling him flush against him, pushing his tongue into the shorter man's mouth, unable to hold back the moan.
"Well, I guess that means you have no chance of getting him back," Chandler said, smirking. "Sucks to be you. At least I still have a shot."
Adam glared at him. "You never even got to first base with him. Why would he give you the time of day?"
Kurt and Blaine ignored them and walked back to their campfire, the others following them.
"That was awesome," Sam said, putting his arm around Mercedes' waist.
Santana smirked, but rather than give one of her usually innuendo laced responses, she just nudged Kurt's shoulder. "That sleaze never saw it coming."
"Okay, Kurt, it's your turn."
Kurt sidled closer to Blaine, keeping one hand in his and resting his head on his shoulder. "Truth or dare, David?"
"Well, I don't know what can top that, but Dare."
The fashion designer smirked. "Okay, how about you tell everyone what went down in the bathroom on the airplane."
David didn't even look shocked by the question. "Wes and I talked. And then I blew his mind."
"How?" Santana asked.
"By blowing me," Wes admitted.
Blaine snorted. "I knew you two joined the mile high club."
Kurt gave the two of them a knowing look. "Then welcome to the club. Your turn David."
David glanced between Finn, Sam, Nick, Jeff, Santana and Brittany, the only ones who hadn't been challenged yet. "Brittany, Truth or Dare?"
Normally, Brittany would be all for any crazy stuff, but she was still not feeling that great, so she just offered a small smile and said, "Truth."
"What's the deal with Lord Tubbington? Is he really a cat, or did you just make him up?"
"Of course he's really a cat, silly! When we get off this course, I can show you pictures!"
The others exchanged glances. It was hard to believe half of what the woman said about this supposed cat. David just shrugged. "Okay, your turn."
Brittany clapped her hands giddily. "Truth or dare, Finn?"
"Oh, uh, Dare?"
The blonde girl looked over to the crews. "I know you can't talk, but is there anything we're not allowed to do, like you know stuff that would be not something to see on TV? You can nod, or just tell me telepathically!"
The crews glanced at each other, and just shrugged. They could always edit it out later.
Brittany nodded her head and looked back at Finn. "I dare you to go over there and punch Chandler in the face or knee him in the balls."
That definitely hadn't been what he'd been expecting. "Um, I could get kicked off the show for hitting him or kneeing him in the balls. And unlike Santana last time with that creepy Sebastian, I doubt I could make it look like an accident."
Before Brittany could respond, every single one of the camera lights suddenly went off.
"Oops," Matt said. "Looks like we forgot to change the batteries."
"What a shame," Lauren said. "It'll take us at least five minutes to change them all."
"There's your answer, pyramid nipples," Santana said with a smirk.
Finn let a little smirk of his own cross his face, and stood up and walked back over to the other two men. He pulled Chandler to his feet and socked him right between the eyes. And then, for good measure, kicked Adam in the balls. "Leave Kurt alone!" he hissed, and then returned nonchalantly to his seat beside Rachel, to the sound of applause.
"Sam, Truth or Dare?"
"First of all dude, that was epic!" Sam said. "Secondly, dare."
Finn was feeling emboldened. "I dare you to do the same thing!"
The circle was gawking, but Sam glanced at the crews, noticing they had deliberately slowed down in changing the batteries. He got up and walked over to the two men. Instead of following Finn's example, he did the reverse, kneeing Chandler in the groin and slamming an uppercut to Adam's face before returning to his seat and shouting behind him, "That's a double what Finn said!"
Kurt sat there completely stunned. Finn and Sam were the last two people he ever expected to do this for him, because he didn't see them as fighters.
"Jeff," Sam said, "Truth or dare?"
"Dare."
Sam grinned. "How about three for three?"
The blonde man considered for a moment. The camera crew couldn't fake changing the batteries all night long. "How about I go one better. There weren't any rest areas between the last task and here, so Nick and I had to take drastic measures. I could 'accidentally' spill on them…"
"Dude," Sam said. "You are absolutely, positively prime evil."
"You have no idea," Nick said with a laugh as his boyfriend retreated to their car to retrieve the two Ziploc bags. The mild mannered looking kindergarten teacher whistled as he moved towards the other fire pit, acting carefree, only to stumble as he got close to the two men, the bags of yellow liquid slipping 'accidentally' from his fingers and flying directly at the two outcasts.
The group burst into laughter as the two men let out howls of disgust, applauding Jeff as he returned. Even the crews were impressed.
"Your turn, man," Sam said.
"Santana, Truth or dare?"
"Dare," she said, really surprised by how many people chose dare without being even the slightest bit buzzed.
Jeff had an evil smile on his face. "I dare you to top that!"
"Excuse us then," Santana said with a smirk. She grabbed Brittany by the arm and disappeared into their car, only emerging about fifteen minutes later, holding two pieces of fabric in her hands.
"What are you doing?" Mercedes asked.
"Well, they're gay, right?" Santana said. "I'm guessing they aren't too big on feminine soiled delicates." She smirked again.
Mercedes' mouth dropped open. "You did not!"
Santana merely laughed darkly and waved the two pairs of underwear she was holding in her hands, as Brittany sat down again, shifting just a little bit.
The Latina moved closer to the two men. "Well," she said loudly. "Can't use these anymore, they're spent and there's no washing machine." She tossed the underwear in such a way that it appeared she was casually tossing them, but they landed on the two men.
Chandler screamed when he realized what had just hit him in the face. Adam managed to stifle the girly yelp that tried to escape, but kept fumbling as he tried to shove the offending cloth away without actually touching it.
Kurt was struggling not to laugh. "Okay, that's enough. You've tortured them enough for tonight! Moving on!"
"Last of the night," Santana said, sitting back down. "Nick, truth or dare?"
"I'll take the dare, but I agree with Kurt. Let's let sleeping dogs lie."
"Since we are ending things," Santana said, "I'll wrap this up with a pretty bow." She smirked. "I dare you to put the fire out by pissing on it."
Nick rolled his eyes, but laughed and stood up and unzipped his fly. A moment later, the fire spluttered out, and the group broke up, heading back to their cars to get some sleep.
…
The gates opened at sunrise the next morning, and Kurt was in a much better mood than he'd been in for the last few legs. He could almost have believed they had all been drunk the night before, if it weren't for the fact that he remembered it all in great detail. He couldn't believe how this group of people had become such good friends in such a short amount of time.
They all drove into the parking lot and made a beeline for the clue box. Sam and Mercedes reached it first, and Kurt and Blaine were second. Wes and David, Nick and Jeff, Will and Emma and Sue and Becky all managed to grab clues without incident, but there was a scuffle when Adam 'accidentally' bumped into Santana, knocking her out of the way and allowing him to grab the clue before her.
"Detour! Fast or Slow?"
…
"In this Detour, teams must choose between two ways of reaching the bottom of the gorge, Fast, or Slow.
"In Fast, teams will swing out over the gorge in one of the highest suspended swings in the world. The freefall can be scary, but it will get them to the bottom in less than ninety seconds.
"In Slow, teams hike to the bottom of the gorge following the marked trail. The descent is much less scary, but takes about an hour longer than the swing."
…
"We're swinging," Sam and Mercedes said. All the other teams agreed with them.
Sam and Mercedes were strapped into the tandem swing first.
"Are you nervous?" Sam asked. They hadn't really gotten to do any of the adrenaline rush tasks on the previous race.
"A Little, but I'm not backing out. We're jumping, even if you have to drag my lifeless corpse back up to finish the race!"
Sam laughed, and kissed her. "That's my girl."
The PA gave them the thumbs up, and on the count of three, they stepped off the platform. Mercedes' scream echoed in the gorge, but as their swinging slowed, it quickly turned to laughter.
They were lowered to the ground, and were handed their clue, and ran to one of the waiting SUVs that would take them back up to the parking lot.
Once back at their car, they ripped open the clue.
"Drive yourselves to the Pit Stop! Mt. Olympus National Park!"
Kurt and Blaine had been strapped in as Sam and Mercedes had gotten to the waiting SUVs, and now were just waiting for the all clear. Over his shoulder, he was well aware of Adam and Chandler staring at them, and leaned in to kiss Blaine as the PA began to count to three. They stepped off the platform without breaking the kiss.
They were both breathless when they reached the ground. "That kiss definitely rocked my world," Blaine teased as they were released from the harness. As they raced to the SUVs to get back to the top, Wes and David prepared for their turn, followed by Nick and Jeff. Kurt and Blaine could hear their screams echoing as they reached their car and checked the map.
In turn, Sue and Becky, Finn and Rachel, and Will and Emma took their turns. Emma screamed and laughed loudest of anyone.
When Adam and Chandler were strapped in, they were too busy bickering to notice what was going on, until Santana shouted at them to jump or she'd shove them off the platform. Chandler screamed and called for his mommy when they stepped off the platform.
"Ugh! I'm not doing that until you change out the rope!" Santana said. "I'm pretty certain that four eyed Ted Bundy peed on it!"
…
"This is Mt. Olympus National Park, in the heart of Greece. Legends say this was the home of Zeus and the other gods of ancient Greece. This is the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The Last team to check in here may be eliminated!"
…
"Phil, Ms. Corcoran, the racers are approaching," Marley informed them.
Phil smiled at the woman next to him. "I wonder who will be first?"
They only had to wait a moment for the answer, as Sam and Mercedes came jogging up the hill towards them.
"Welcome to Greece! Let me see a show smile!" Shelby said.
Sam and Mercedes smiled at her, as Phil looked them over.
"Sam and Mercedes, you are team number one! As the winners of this leg of the race, you have won a pair of jet skis that you can enjoy after the race. How does it feel to come in first twice now?"
"I still can't believe it," Mercedes said. "Last time, we barely had a chance to get our race legs on, and now here we are, in first place, almost halfway through the competition!"
Phil laughed and watched as they were escorted from the mat.
…
"Damn," Kurt swore. "I think we missed our turn about six miles back!"
"Are you sure?" Blaine asked. Kurt had never misread a map before.
Kurt let out a sigh. "I read the signpost wrong, I think. We definitely need to turn back."
Blaine just nodded and looked for a safe place to turn around.
…
"Wes and David, you are team number two!"
"Kurt and Blaine, you are Team Number Three!"
"Nick and Jeff, you are team number four!"
…
"Becky, you can stop messing with that map. Sue Sylvester knows exactly where she is going. I was born on Mt. Olympus!"
The blonde girl raised an eyebrow, an action mimicked by their crew. "I thought you were born in Panama."
"That was the last time. The first time was on Olympus. I was also born on the East Lawn of the White House once."
"How can you be born three times, coach?"
"Nine lives, Becky. Nine lives."
…
"Sue and Becky, you are team number five!"
"Finn and Rachel, you are team number six!"
"Oompa!" Finn shouted. Rachel looked at him with a frown.
"I think you mean Opa, Finn, honey."
"Will and Emma, you are team number seven!"
Phil tried to hold a straight face as the next team approached. Despite the fact that the cameras had been turned off, he was well aware of what had happened the previous night.
"Adam and Chandler, you are team number eight!"
Santana and Brittany climbed the hill slowly, but with their heads held high. The blonde woman was still somewhat dehydrated from the previous day, but her color was much improved, and she had enjoyed the swing task a lot, holding tightly to the darker haired woman.
"Santana and Brittany," Phil said. "You are the last team to arrive. I'm very sorry to tell you have both been eliminated from the game.
Santana nodded her head. "It's okay. I'm proud of us, we actually finished the leg, despite everything that happened."
Phil smiled at her. "I'm very proud of you, too. You've shown that you won't ever give up, and I admire that. I really will be sorry to see you go."
Both women hugged him before walking away.