A/N Sorry this took a while, and it's a bit shorter than we hoped. Real life has been intruding on our writing time!

Chapter Four

Don't Get Carried Away

It was raining again as they ushered the racers to the shuttle vans to take them to the hotel where they would spend their twelve hour down time. There were two teams in each van, and somehow, Sue and Becky ended up in the same van as Adam and Chandler.

The tall, intimidating woman kept one eye on the other team as she and Becky sat in the back of the van. The smirk on her face was one of contemplation.

"Becky," the woman said, loud enough so her partner could hear her, but quiet enough that the other team couldn't. "It's time to start Operation Chasing Duck."

"What is Operation Chasing Duck?" Becky asked, looking at the woman curiously.

The smirk on Sue's face grew. "It means we ruffle feathers and watch them try to waddle away," she explained, her eyes still on the other team. "Those two have been causing unnecessary problems in more ways than one." She took a picture out of her pack. "The way they tag along and peck at Klaine as though they were leaving a metaphorical trail of breadcrumbs." She ran her hand over the picture.

Becky looked at the photograph to find it was a candid of Kurt and Blaine kissing. She didn't need to ask how Sue got that. The woman had her ways.

"I think the Asian and Aretha are up to something," Sue said after a moment, changing the subject. She wasn't quite tapped into what they were up to, but she was fairly certain it would have a positive affect as opposed to the negative one the duck boys were trying to achieve. "Becky, I want you to see if you can find out more about what they're doing. Report back to me afterwards."

"Right coach." The short girl turned to glance out the window as the conversation ended. But Sue kept watching the other team in the van.

"Pretty soon, you will go quack, quack, quack, all the way home."

"Do you think they suspect something?" Tina asked, glancing out the window to the other van where Kurt and Blaine were sitting with Santana and Brittany.

Mercedes followed her look. "I don't think so, not yet anyway."

"You both are insane, you do realize that, right?" Sam added from the seat beside the dark skinned Diva.

Mercedes glared at him. "Why? It's not like it was our idea. We just took his thought and expanded on it."

Mike shook his head. "And what if something goes wrong? What if they get eliminated before…"

"Don't even think that!" Tina interrupted. "Everyone knows what to do if things look like they are going to be eliminated."

"It's not a foolproof plan, though," Sam interjected. "Something could go wrong. What if no one else is there to help out?"

Tina just gave them a mysterious grin. "I have that covered, don't worry."

The others looked at her, waiting for an explanation, but she just shook her head.

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief when he realized they would have a room to themselves. After the interruption at the Pit Stop the other day, Kurt had excused himself to the showers, where he'd hastily gotten himself off to relieve the pressure, but it hadn't lasted. He swore if he and Blaine didn't have sex soon, he was going to explode.

The moment the door closed behind them, Kurt had Blaine pinned to it, kissing him in desperation.

Blaine of course was all too willing to oblige, winding his arms around Kurt's waist and almost instantly moaning into the other man's mouth. "Want you," he managed to get out between kisses.

"Want you too," Kurt said in the same manner. "So bad." He grabbed one of Blaine's hands and pulled it from his waist, boldly placing it on his crotch and Blaine could feel how hard Kurt already was. "Masturbating hardly does the trick anymore," Kurt added with a groan, pressing Blaine's hand into him. The curly haired man moaned.

This time, they wasted not a moment stripping each other of their clothes. They had all the time in the world with the rest of their lives together for slow caresses and dainty touches. But the need at this point was so great, both of them just wanted some hard, fast, and rough sex. To pound the need out until it was finally satisfyingly spent. And Kurt was so in lust for Blaine by now, he had a feeling it would take the entirety of their rest period.

Clothes haphazardly dropped to the floor, Blaine walked Kurt backward until he fell back onto the bed, never relenting in their kissing. His hand went back to Kurt's groin, wrapping around his now exposed erection and pumping hard, attempting to get him impossibly harder.

"I want you in such ramrod shape when I ride you," He muttered seductively, drawing his teeth across Kurt's bottom lip. "So much so that you'll slam right into my prostate on the first impaling and I will see the most pleasurable of stars."

Kurt let out a stuttering moan at his words. He was so turned on, just Blaine's description was enough to make him come. But he bit down on his lip and held back. He had no intentions of coming until he was buried inside of Blaine. And he knew he was going to come so hard, it was going to be spilling out of his boyfriend for days!

"Want to ravish you," Kurt moaned.

"Want you to ravish me," Blaine moaned back, moving to bite and suck on his neck, long enough to form a hickey. "Mine," he muttered possessively.

"Yours," Kurt confirmed, arching beneath him.

"Did you bring the lube?" Blaine managed to ask.

Kurt nodded, and held up his hand. He had sneakily managed to grab it before his clothes and things were shed away.

"Fuck, I love you," Blaine said, moaning as he took the lube. "Just lay back and watch the show baby."

Blaine popped the cap on the lube and spread it over his fingers, warming it before he reached around to his own ass and circled his pucker with his finger. A long low moan escaped at the feeling. It just felt amazing already.

The curly haired man had just poked the tip of his finger in when there came a banging on the wall.

"Keep it down in there!" They heard Wes' voice yell out. "These walls are thin and I'd rather manage to sleep than lie here with my eyes bugging out because you two can't keep your hands off each other!"

Kurt was so livid he felt like breaking through the wall and strangling Wes. he fell back against the pillows with a frustrated groan.

Blaine got up and hastily pulled some sweats and a t-shirt on before moving to the door.

"Where are you going?" Kurt asked with a pout.

"To handle something," was all his boyfriend replied.

Kurt didn't need to ask, for in the next moment, he heard every single word of what Blaine was 'handling'.

"Blaine?" David's voice came through the wall, sounding surprised. There was a distinct slapping noise and Kurt's eyes got wide as he realized that Blaine had just slapped someone.

"Ow! Hey what was that for?!" Wes cried out in shock.

"For acting like you have never had pent up sexual frustration!" Blaine growled out. "Do you know that Kurt and I have not had sex since the last race?!"

Kurt wanted to giggle. He knew this was undoubtedly making Wes and David uncomfortable.

"You've had plenty of opportunities to-" David started, but Blaine interrupted him.

"AND WE KEEP GETTING INTERRUPTED!" he shouted so loudly, Kurt was sure the whole hall heard him.

"I didn't say you had to stop, just to keep it down!" Wes bit back. Kurt could just see the glare Blaine must have been throwing him.

"Unlike some people here, Kurt and I aren't interested in people knowing we're being intimate, Wesley Montgomery! We want to keep our private lives, you know, private. Just the fact that you even know what we're doing now is enough to kill the mood. So thank you. Thank you for once again, forcing us to try and ignore the sexual tension. Although by now, it's so great, I might just give Kurt a blowjob at the breakfast table."

There was a slamming sound a few moments later and then Blaine was back in their room. He stripped off the clothes again and just crawled into the bed next to Kurt, who immediately wound himself around him.

Blaine's eyes were wet and Kurt frowned. He gently kissed away the unshed tears. "Soon baby," he said softly. "Soon. I promise."

Even with the comfort, Blaine still cried himself to sleep.

"Nong Buak Park, a beautiful floral oasis in Chiang Mai, Thailand, was the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. Ten teams wait here to find out where they will be heading next.

"Santana and Brittany, who were the first to check in at 2:59 pm, will depart at 2:59 am"

Santana squeezed Brittany's hand as they waited for the signal to open their clue. It felt strange to be leaving the Pit Stop in first place, but it also felt right. When they had been eliminated in Switzerland on the previous race, Santana had felt cheated, as they had led almost the entire leg, until those damn hay bales had tripped her up. Winning this leg of the race had felt like vindication.

The PA signaled that it was time, and she ripped open the envelope.

"Fly to Antananarivo, Madagascar!"

"Madagascar!" Brittany exclaimed. "I hope we get to meet Julien and Mort, and the penguins!"

Santana looked at the blonde woman in confusion. "Who are Julien and Mort?"

"The Lemurs! Julien is their king! He's so funny! He sings that song, 'I like to move it, move it!'" She began to dance, and suddenly Santana understood. The other woman was talking about the characters from Madagascar, the animated film.

"We'll talk about them later, sweetie. For now we have a race to run! Let's get to the airport!"

There were four teams right behind them as they made their way to the airport; Kurt and Blaine, Wes and David, Will and Emma, and Sam and Mercedes. All the ticket counters were closed, but they had a computer room where they could book flights. There was nothing available until almost nine in the morning. They booked the tickets, and found a restaurant where they could relax and wait for the other teams.

"So, Wes," Santana began in her sultry drawl. "Are you and flyboy there going to be killjoys throughout the entire race? Cause if you are, maybe the rest of us should pitch in and buy you each a pair of ear plugs."

The Asian man turned to look at the fiery Latina. "Or maybe the rest of you should learn to have some respect for-" He cut himself off when he spotted the uncharacteristic glare Blaine shot his way, subconsciously raising a hand to his cheek and rubbing it where it was still sore.

"For what?" Santana demanded. "Just because you broke up with your girlfriend doesn't mean the rest of us have to turn celibate."

Wes frowned at her. "No one said you had to be celibate. You just don't need to flaunt it in the face of everyone else!"

David frowned. "Wes, come on, it wasn't like they were doing it deliberately. Are you sure there isn't something else bothering you?"

Santana stood by, one eyebrow raised over the scowl writing itself across her face. She opened her mouth, intending to say something before Wes could, but Blaine got to it first.

"You think that's what Kurt and I were doing last night, Wesley?" he bit, Kurt squeezed his hand tightly, torn between letting Blaine play out his disbelief, and pulling him out of the drama.

Wes looked between his old friend, and the angry Latina. "Some of us aren't lucky enough to find someone who wants to stand by you forever," he said, tone almost defeated. "All of you have someone to lean on. Some of us find relationships hard, and complicated!"

"Hey!" David said, "Just because Courtney wasn't the one for you, doesn't mean there isn't someone out there who is right for you!"

"That's easy for you to say! You have Brianna!"

David sighed and looked away. "Bri dumped me the night before we left for San Francisco!"

Wes looked shocked. "But you two seemed perfect for each other! You dated for almost a year!"

David raised an eyebrow. "What made you think we were perfect for each other?"

Wes frowned. "You are both in the medical profession, you both hate cats, and you both love late night talk shows!"

"And she was a clingy bitch who often went through my phone to make sure I wasn't cheating on her, and threw a tantrum when I told her I was going on a male bonding trip with you since I couldn't tell her we were going on the Amazing Race!"

While the two boys got into a sort of heated back and forth conversation, not quite an argument, the other racers around them glanced at each other and quietly moved to back away. This was not their issue to be working out.

Santana had her arms crossed over her chest and the scowl was still on her face. "Breakup or not, they have no right to try and tell us when we can and cannot be intimate. It's not our fault their girlfriends left them high and dry and sex deprived," she bit out.

Blaine was uncharacteristically quiet, an expression on his face the others couldn't read. Kurt kept a hold of his hand and didn't say anything, offering his silent support.

"What's wrong with your dolphin?" Brittany asked, her innocent tone bright and out of place in the situation. She was looking at Kurt with a concerned expression. But it was Blaine who responded.

"I slapped Wes last night."

His words were enough for Santana to replace her scowl with a look of surprise. "I'm sorry what?" she asked. "Wow prep school boy, didn't think you had it in you."

Blaine didn't respond. Kurt tightened his grip on his boyfriend's hand and set his jaw. Clearly, whatever Blaine had slapped Wes for, bothered him too. Santana looked between the two of them and glanced back at the men they'd just left. Maybe there was just a little more frustration added to their favorite couple's lives. She made a mental note to bring this up to the other teams, perhaps warning them that Kurt and Blaine, may very well be on the verge of snapping.

Unlike the rest of them, who either lived with or near their significant other, Kurt and Blaine had been dating long distance. They didn't have the opportunities for intimacy that the rest of them did. Maybe it was time for Auntie Tana to spread the word that the boys should be left alone as much as possible.

"All teams are now enroute to Antananarivo, Madagascar on one of two flights. The first flight carries Santana and Brittany, Kurt and Blaine, Wes and David, Will and Emma, and Sam and Mercedes. The second flight, scheduled to land fifteen minutes after the first, carries Adam and Chandler, Sue and Becky, Tina and Mike, Finn and Rachel, and Nick and Jeff. Once they land, they will select a driver and marked vehicle to take them to their next destination, Tsimbazaza Zoo, where they will find their next clue."

"I see the clue box!" Will said, and asked the driver to pull over. He held Emma's hand as they ran up to the box and took an envelope.

"Detour! Flesh or Bone!" Will read.

"In this Detour, teams must choose between two ways of identifying various species. In Flesh, teams must search the zoo for ten animals, based on a sketch of its bone structure, and mark its location on a blank map of the zoo.

"In Bone, teams must search the zoo's museum of extinct animals and identify the skeletons of five different species, based on watercolor drawings of what they would look like if they were alive, and mark its location on the museum map."

"I think we should do Flesh," Emma said. She thought it would be more fun seeing the live animals than spending time among the extinct.

Will smiled at her, and they took the packet for Flesh, examining the ten sketches. "Well, this one is easy, that's a lemur, but which type, I'm not sure," Will pointed to one of the skeletal sketches. "And this one is a tortoise!"

"This is a type of chameleon here," Emma pointed. "And this is a fossa. Let's try and find these first, and keep an eye out for the other animals as we search."

"Good idea."

"Let's do Bone," Blaine said. "Skeletons don't move around, so it will be easier to judge shape."

Kurt nodded. "That sounds reasonable." They took the Bone packet, and made their way to the museum. "I know what this one is," the pale man said, pointing to a painting of a large bird. "It's an elephant bird. It was related to the ostrich."

Blaine grinned at him. "You're so knowledgeable about so many things! It's one of the things I love about you!"

"It's true, Kurt's intelligence was one of the first things that I fell in love with, along with his kindness and generosity."

Kurt blushed. "I fell in love with his bow ties first, and then his goofy nature."

...

Kurt smiled and kissed him, taking his hand as they began to search through the skeletons. Half an hour later they had found all but one of the creatures. "This kind of looks like a kobold," Kurt said, looking at the final painting.

"It has to be this," Blaine said, pointing to a skeleton that looked like a cross between a gorilla and a bear. "Archaeoindris," The curly haired man read off the placard.

Kurt studied the skeleton, and the painting again. "I think you're right! Come on, let's show this to the official."

They returned to the front of the museum, passing several other teams along the way, including Sam and Mercedes and Tina and Mike. They showed the judge their labeled map, and cheered when he smiled and handed them their clue.

As they ran back to their vehicle, they spotted Will and Emma ahead of them, already climbing into their car with their driver.

"Look! It's Julien!" Brittany cried out happily, spotting the lemur in the large tree.

Santana smiled at the blonde woman, entranced by her childlike wonder. They had chosen the Flesh option because Brittany thought Bone would be too depressing, and Santana couldn't help but humor her.

While she hadn't said those three words out loud, she was definitely growing fonder of the other woman everyday, and knew she wanted the other woman to be a part of her life for as long as the blonde would have her. Santana wasn't the type for labels, but she knew this was more than just fooling around.

"Either I'm going blind, or all of these skeletons look alike to me!" Mike exclaimed in frustration.

Tina squeezed his hand. "Not all of them. We found the elephant bird and that tortoise. The bat skeleton should be around here somewhere. The last two are primates, and will probably be in the same area as each other," she said, her veterinarian training coming in handy for this task.

Mike smiled at her. "For someone who dresses in goth fashion, you are always so optimistic and upbeat."

His wife smiled sweetly at him. "I'm contrary that way!"

"Tina has always been different, not afraid of being who she wants to be. It's one of the things I like most about her. She's always been like that."

"Well, except for that time I had a fake stutter in school. I was really shy, and stuttering made people stay away."

...

He laughed and kissed her softly. "I love you!"

She grinned. "I know. And I just spotted the bat we're looking for!" She pointed out the skeleton over his left shoulder.

He glanced at it and turned back to her. "That's my girl!"

"That's the last one!" Nick said, marking the bat on the map.

Jeff laughed. "That was fast! Of course, all that research you did for 'Nicky Visits the Museum' certainly helped. How many different skeletons did you study for that book?"

"I'm the author of nine childrens' books about a young boy named Nicky and his view on the world around him. Nicky and his best friend, Jeffy, teach kids everything from conservation to equality and acceptance."

Jeff leaned over and kissed him. "My kindergarteners love him when he comes in to read his books for them."

...

Nick laughed at the reference to his fifth children's book, about a boy's visit to a museum full of animal skeletons. "Two hundred and sixty nine."

Jeff giggled. "Mmmm, my favorite number. Maybe we'll get lucky and get to stay in a hotel with thicker walls tonight…"

Nick laughed again and swatted his boyfriend on the ass. "And you say I'm the incorrigible one?"

They turned in their map, and received the next clue.

"Have your driver drive you to Talata Volon'ondry, and search for your next clue."

As they left the zoo parking lot, they saw at least two other teams behind them, so they knew they weren't in last place, at least for the moment. Nick only hoped they could stay out in the middle of the pack for this leg.

An hour later, they arrived at the next clue box, in one of the poorest regions they had ever visited. As they exited the vehicle, they were approached by several young men carrying something wrapped in leaves, trying to sell them whatever it was. They shook their heads, and took their clue.

"Koba is the sweet treat sold by entrepreneuring locals. Make five koba logs at Talata Volon'ondry, and then sample the finished product to receive your next clue!"

They spotted several teams working on the task, and settled in to watch the demonstration. You had to lay out the spines of several banana leaves first, then add a thick layer of the leaves. Once you had a suitable base, you added a layer of rice flour, so the sweet didn't stick to the leaves. Next was a boat load of crushed peanuts mixed with unrefined sugar, heaped in a triangle down the middle of the leaves in a four foot long log. Another layer of rice flour was added, and the banana leaves are wrapped around the entire thing, and the spines were used to tie it tightly. And then each log was placed in a special pot and steamed for up to three days.

"Good thing neither of us have a peanut allergy," Jeff quipped as they settled into the task. As they began laying out the spines for their first log, Will and Emma finished and received their clue. Not long after, Kurt and Blaine received their clue, as Wes and David, Finn and Rachel, and Tina and Mike arrived from the zoo tasks.

They focused on the task at hand, and soon they had their first log finished. The rest seemed to go a lot faster, and soon they were being offered a piece of the local specialty to try.

"Oh, wow!" Jeff said, taking a second bite. "This is amazing!"

Nick laughed at his boyfriend as he received the clue. "Come on, don't get carried away!" He teased as the taller man asked for another piece to take with them.

"Fly to Antisiranana, and locate Kite Camp!"

"There are only two flights today to Antisiranana," the ticket agent said. "Fortunately, it is midweek, so there are plenty of seats available."

"Thank you," Will said, and handed over their Amazing Race credit card.

"Only two flights today?" Emma, said. "Goodness, I hope no one misses the last flight!"

They were just finishing up their transaction when Kurt and Blaine and Sue and Becky arrived. It wasn't long before they were joined by Sam and Mercedes, Santana and Brittany, and Adam and Chandler.

Will noticed that the last team seemed smug to have caught up with Kurt and Blaine, frowning when they followed the porcelain skinned man and his boyfriend.

He got Mercedes' attention, and nodded to the troublesome pair, unaware that Sue had also spotted what was happening. Mercedes frowned and followed the suspicious men.

Mercedes considered herself to be a reasonable woman, but some people just rubbed her the wrong way. Rachel had been like that on the last race, but she had mellowed a lot since she started dating Finn. She still got on Mercedes' nerves now and then but not nearly as much as she used to.

These two idiots were way worse. She just hated it when people didn't accept no as an answer. Adam annoyed her, but something about Chandler actually creeped her out. She wouldn't be surprised if the overly excitable man had a shrine to Kurt hidden in a closet back home.

She didn't think either of them would physically hurt her Boo, but she was certain they would do almost anything to get between Kurt and Blaine, and that was definitely not part of the plan.

She spotted the two offending males gawking at Kurt through the entrance to a coffee shop. They were so preoccupied stalking Kurt, they didn't notice her standing a few feet behind them.

"Maybe we can lock that mop headed hobbit in a janitors' closet or something," she heard Chandler say.

"Or maybe you two could take a hint and leave them alone," Mercedes said, snatching each man by an ear and dragging them back to the boarding gate.

"Ow ow ow!" Both men cried out, stumbling after her.

"Neither of you are worthy enough for Kurt! You both treated him like crap!"

Santana joined her as she pushed both men up against the wall. "Were they bugging our boys again? I warned you both what would happen if you didn't leave them alone. If we weren't in the middle of an airport crawling with security, I'd castrate you here and now!"

"I'd tell her to go for it anyway," Sam added, standing next to Will and Emma, behind the two women. "but I don't want to miss our flight because we have to fill out witness statements."

Emma nodded. She wasn't a violent woman by any stretch of the word, but someone needed to scare these two guys into leaving Kurt alone. "I'd help, if it weren't for the mess it would make."

"Leave them alone, capice? Or you may find you are the ones locked in a janitors' closet!" Mercedes glared at the two men.

...

"They're following us, aren't they?" Kurt asked, arms wrapped around his own waist as his stomach began to churn.

"Just ignore them. Come on, I'll buy you a grande nonfat mocha," Blaine conjoled, leading him into the coffee shop on the concourse.

Kurt sighed, and followed his boyfriend. "I'm starting to wish we had stayed home. At least we'd have had some privacy there."

Blaine nudged his shoulder. "But we'd have missed out on this adventure together."

Kurt smiled, and hugged him, before moving up as the line to order advanced.

"Excuse me," a voice behind them said. They turned to spot a blonde girl around their age. "Aren't you Kurt and Blaine? I saw you on The Amazing Race last season! Are you running again?"

"Oh, hi!" Kurt said, smiling at her. "Yes, Blaine and I were on last season!"

"I'm Dani! I loved watching the two of you falling in love on the show! It was so sweet, and inspiring!"

Blaine smiled at her. "Thank you! It was pretty magical," he said, taking Kurt's hand.

The young woman grinned at them. "So, that girl, Santana, do you know her very well? She was really hot!"

Kurt laughed. "Santana is a good friend of ours. She is currently dating someone, though. By the way, I love that ring! Is that a real pink diamond?"

Dani smiled and held her hand out for him to inspect it better. "Yes, it was a gift from my dad for not flaunting my sexuality until after I moved out. Or as he called it, a purity ring for being a virgin, or so he thinks."

"Next!" The barista called out, and Kurt glanced over his shoulder to see they were at the front of the line. He moved forward and placed his order, before turning back to the young woman. He was about to say something to her, but frowned when he caught a glimpse of Adam and Chandler, watching them from the entrance. He almost grinned when he saw Mercedes grab the two men by their ears and drag them away.

"So, where are you headed?" Kurt asked.

"I'm flying to Antisiranana, but I'm heading to Cap Diego for a couple of days, and then meeting some friends who have a yacht. We're going to sail around to a few of the smaller islands, before heading to Zanzibar."

"That sounds like fun," Blaine said, as they received their drink orders. "Well, Dani, it was really nice meeting you!"

"It was really great meeting you, too!"

They walked back towards the boarding gate, sipping their coffee. The first thing they noticed when they reached the others was Jane and Mason, Adam and Chandler's camera crew, who were standing there, their equipment lowered, as they watched in awe of what was happening. Mercedes and Santana had the two men pinned to the wall, with Sam, Will, Emma, and Brittany standing around them, all glaring menacingly at the other two men. Sue and Becky were standing nearby, watching with interest.

Kurt noticed that Chandler seemed terrified of the two women, while Adam merely seemed a little afraid. "Um, what's going on?"

The other racers all seemed shocked to see them standing there. "We're just talking," Santana said, matter of factly. "Isn't that right, boys?"

Chandler flinched, and hastily nodded his head, while Adam grimaced. "Yes, just having a lovely chat." The others broke up, as the first flight was announced.

...

Set apart from the group surrounding the two racers whom were unanimously hated by the others, Sue stood with Becky at her side. "Becky, as my beckretary, I need you to take something down.

"But I don't have any paper, coach," Becky said.

"Then you use the power of memory and stamp across that brain of yours." The girl nodded her head, shutting her eyes tight. "Becky, Operation Chasing Duck may be just a little more challenging than I thought."

"How so coach?"

Sue narrowed her eyes, still watching the two pig boys. "They are lurking around every corner. It's time for a Sue Sylvester distraction." She handed Becky some of their extra cash. "Find an airport convenience store and see if you can't round up a box of condoms, several packs of pudding, and some duct tape. Or any kind of heavy duty tape."

"Right coach."

As the blonde girl hurried away, Sue kept watching the two men. "Let's see how much you want to play after I'm through with you," she stated, before remembering something. "Make sure the pudding is vanilla!" she called after Becky.

Mike looked at the flat tire, and sighed in defeat. They were definitely in last now. And unlike Kurt, Mike had no experience in changing tires, and neither did their driver, apparently, who was having a hard time assembling the jack.

"Maybe we'll get lucky," Tina said, taking his hand. "Maybe whatever the next task is, they'll have to wait for morning, and we can catch up."

Mike hugged her and smiled. "No matter what happens, it's been awesome having this adventure with my wife!"

Nick and Jeff arrived at the ticket counter just behind Wes and David and Finn and Rachel, and listened in on Wes' conversation with the agent.

"The last flight to Antisiranana will begin boarding in fifty minutes. You'll have just enough time to make it through security."

"Did you say the last flight?" Wes asked.

"Yes sir. We have only two flights a day."

Nick and Jeff looked at each other, glad they had gotten here when they did. They got their tickets, and hurried through security, making it to the boarding area with no time to spare.

Will and Emma, Kurt and Blaine, and Sue and Becky all reached the clue box almost at the same time.

"Roadblock! Who is ready to get hitched?"

"In this Roadblock, one team member must learn to kite surf, and then negotiate their way through a marked course. If they fall off their board, or go off course, they must begin again. The challenge is only available from sunrise to sunset. If any teams fail to complete the task before closing, they will receive a four hour penalty."

"I'll do it," Emma said.

Will looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure? You don't even know what the task is."

She shrugged. "We agreed to alternate on the roadblocks, and it's my turn."

He nodded. "Okay. I love you!"

She smiled at him. "I love you, too."

Will watched her as she was led to the changing tent, along with Blaine and Sue. A few minutes later, Sam and Mercedes, Santana and Brittany, and Adam and Chandler arrived. The second flight wasn't due to arrive for another ninety five minutes, which meant whoever was on that flight would have less than two hours to get here and finish the task before sunset.

Will glanced back to the changing tent as Emma emerged in a wetsuit like the one she'd worn for the cliff diving and shark feeding. Will couldn't help thinking how good she looked in the neoprene gear, and vowed to buy her one when they got back home after the race.

The racers were teamed up with instructors, and Will frowned as the young man instructing Emma on kite surfing smiled a little too flirtatiously at her, and seemed to crowd her space a little too much. His redheaded fiance just smiled and listened to the instructions she was being given.

Blaine laughed as he shook the instructor's hand. "I've actually kite surfed before, several times."

"Well then, mate," the instructor said, smiling, "I'll just do a quick review and show you the course."

"Sounds good," Blaine said. Fifteen minutes later, he was riding the waves, heading into the course in first place.

There was something to be said for being comfortably in first place. On the one hand you could take comfort knowing that you could confidently win. But on the other hand, no one was around you and no one could witness if something strange happened. And the camera crew for Kurt and Blaine's team was above him in a helicopter. There were certain limitations to how close they could be to film. There was no room for a boat along the course and they certainly couldn't film and kite surf at the same time.

The curly haired man pushed those thoughts from his head and focused on the task, until he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to get a better look.

Far enough to be breezing outside the course, but not so far that he couldn't make him out, was a familiar looking meerkat, feet planted on his own kite board. The smirk on the man's face seemed to be even more pronounced than normal. As though he knew exactly what he was doing.

Whatever Sebastian was up to, it worked. Blaine's surprise and sudden discomfort at seeing the meerkat yet again, broke his concentration. He faltered and fell off the board and into the water, cursing under his breath.

When he came up again, breaking the surface, he had half a mind to go off on the meerkat. But once again, he was nowhere in sight.

"I can't be hallucinating!" Blaine said staring at the camera. "Sebastian is following me! I know you've caught something on camera!" Spencer and Roderick exchanged a glance, but didn't speak. Blaine let out a heaving sigh. "I can't tell Kurt, he's already stressed out so much. He'll think he has to protect me, and that will just add to his stress."

Emma shrieked in excitement as she finished the course, and raced back up the beach with the clue. "I did it! Will! Did you see me? I did it!"

Her fiance laughed and hugged her. "I saw it, sweetheart! You did amazing!"

They opened the envelope and read the clue.

"Take a taxi to the docks, and catch a boat to the Pit Stop, Cap Diego Beach!"

"Cap Diego is a peninsula within Diego Suarez bay and the location of a former French military base, including the nearby Andrakaka Navy airfield. This is the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here, will be eliminated."

Phil took his mark, as the first team came into view, waiting to see their expressions as the Greeter smiled at them.

"Welcome to Cap Diego, Madagascar! Yes, I am Josh Groban, you aren't hallucinating!"

"Will, it's Josh Groban! Josh Groban is speaking to me! I think I'm going to faint!" Emma said, swooning.

Phil laughed as Will caught his fiance. "Will and Emma, you are team number one!"

"Number one?" Will said, excitedly, hugging his fiance. "I can't believe that not only have we made it this far, but we actually won a leg!"

Phil smiled at the couple. "Congratulations! And as the winners of this leg, you've won a Five day adventure tour of the Amazon Rainforest, including Zip lines and skywalks. You can enjoy that after the race! How proud of Emma are you, Will?"

Will hugged the woman in question, looking directly in her eyes. "So proud! She's come so far, and learned so much about herself. I thought it was impossible to love her any more than I already did, but she's proved me wrong. I love how she's faced every challenge on this race head on, rather than shying away from the unknown."

"What do you say to that, Emma?"

"Josh Groban is smiling at me…"

The three men laughed, as the PA ushered them off the mat.

"Kurt and Blaine, you are team number two!"

"Blaine, it's Josh Groban! Pinch me Blaine!"

"Sue and Becky, you are team number three."

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Josh Gropin'," Sue said. "You never called me back!"

"Sam and Mercedes, you are team number four!"

"You ain't a bad singer, for a white boy," Mercedes teased, with a wink.

"Santana and Brittany, you are team number five!"

"Josh Groban, Wanky!"

"Adam and Chandler, you are team number six!"

"Really? Josh Groban? You couldn't have found anyone better?"

"There's our Speed Bump," Nick observed, pointing out the sign with their picture on it. Under the picture was a clue envelope.

"Wax twenty surfboards before continuing to the next task."

"Waxing surfboards?" Jeff said, incredulously. "That's so easy! We can knock that out fast!"

Nick nodded. "Wes and David and Finn and Rachel are still ahead of us, though. And who knows where Tina and Mike are? They weren't on our flight, so they could be way ahead."

Jeff shrugged. "It ain't over until Phil sends us home."

They smiled at each other, and set to work on the surfboards. Forty five minutes later, they finished the last board, and moved on to the Roadblock, just as Wes and David and Finn and Rachel each got their clues.

"Closes at sunset?" Jeff read. "Good thing I've kite surfed before! I can finish before sunset!"

"Wes and David, you are team number seven!"

"Wes!" David said in an overloud whisper, "It's Josh Groban!"

"Finn and Rachel, you are team number eight!"

"Mr. Groban! It's an honor to meet such an incredibly talented person as yourself!"

The sun sank beneath the horizon as Nick and jeff opened their clue, and began making their way to the Pit Stop. They still didn't know if they were last, but it didn't really matter. The important thing was that they were together, they loved each other, and they had amazing friends in their lives. The fact that they got to come on this race in the first place was just a bonus.

They ran to the mat, hand in hand, laughing.

"Oh my god! It's Josh Groban!" Jeff squealed. The international superstar smiled at them, welcoming them to Madagascar.

"Nick and Jeff," Phil said, looking from one man to the other. A smile broke out on his face. "You are team number nine!"

"We're not last?" Nick asked, surprised. "We were sure we were last!"

"You are not last, you are still in the race!" Phil assured them.

"I can't believe it!" Jeff said, hugging his boyfriend. "If we aren't last, who is?"

14 hours later…

Mike opened the envelope at Kite Camp and read the route info out loud. "Make your way to the Beach at Cap Diego."

As they got off the boat at Cap Diego, they noticed a police car parked near the resort on the cliff overlooking the beach, and two police officers speaking to a young, blonde woman.

They were holding hands and smiling as they approached Phil at the mat, knowing what was coming.

"Tina and Mike, all other teams checked in last night, and have already departed on the next leg of the race. I'm sorry to tell you, you both have been eliminated from the race."

"We figured," Tina said, smiling sadly. "It's been awesome doing the race again, but it just wasn't meant to be for us to win. We're just happy to have had the chance."

Mike hugged her close. "As I said, I'm just so lucky to have this woman at my side. She makes every day an adventure."

Phil smiled and shook their hands before they left the mat.