Sorry this is a bit late, I intended to get it up on Friday, but work threw me a curve and a friend got married this weekend. Hopefully it won't be much longer till my schedule gets situated. Until then, the plan is for updates on Fridays. Thanks again for reading!
5YL Let the Encore Commence
Part 86
Before Sebastian even arrived at the office on Wednesday, Hunter called to check-in with him, wanting to know how they were handling the news. Sebastian chuckled, before telling him he should be more concerned for his cousin's sanity than for them. "Seriously man, how are the two of you taking this?" Hunter asked as he walked towards his own office.
"After of the initial response, it was easier to get perspective." Sebastian told him. "Plus, my Dad helped give me a bit of insight on things."
"It's a messed-up situation, no matter how you look at it." Hunter replied. "For everyone's sake, this needs to end."
"That's the consensus, yet we all know it's not happening anytime soon. We'd only be setting ourselves up for another fall if we believed elsewise." Sebastian said in response. "I don't want to sound cynical, I just…"
"You're being realistic, I get it, especially given everything which has happened." Hunter told him. "Are you concerned at all about him going away so soon after this news?"
"No, as it's the best medicine for him, it doesn't all him to overthink things. Not to mention, he's not alone, he's surrounded by people who care about him."
"Good point. Are you heading to the stadium tonight, or are you going to wait for your hubby at home?"
"I'm actually going home, as I put off studying last night to spend the evening with B."
"Understandable, so, should I presume he's heading home after he sings?"
"Yes, as he's yet to finish packing, which is unusual for him. Though with everything that's been going on, he's been a bit distracted."
"You don't have to explain it to me, as the two of you have had to deal with so much since you've gotten together." Hunter said to him. "Yet through it all, it's made you stronger."
"Something we acknowledge, because it just as easily could've tore us apart before we even got started." After he spoke, he glanced down at his ring, something he'd never tire of seeing on his finger due to all it represented. "I'm about to head in, so…"
"I'm actually about to do the same, so, want to do something this weekend?"
"You remembered I wasn't joining B, impressive."
"I did, as I know you're gone next weekend for the wedding and didn't want to have to even attempt studying."
"I won't have time, as next weekend is going to be an utter whirlwind." Sebastian said to him. "Give me a call tomorrow, as B leaves before I get home."
"Will do." Hunter replied. "And Sebastian, should you need anything."
"Got it, and thanks a lot man, you've really been there for us since the beginning."
"Always will be. Talk to you later."
"Later."
While they were getting a start on their day, Blaine was sitting up in his studio, sipping coffee while going over his schedule for the next two weeks. Initially the long weekend trips weren't that off putting, but having two back to back, along with Cooper's wedding, was almost too much. No sooner did he get home, would he be packing once again to head out, barely giving him three days at home. The only reason it wasn't completely overwhelming, the following week, he didn't have to leave till Friday morning, after Sebastian had left for work.
He was so caught up in his thoughts, he was a bit startled to hear a knock on the open door, which garnered a laugh from Scott prior to walking in. "I'm not disturbing you, am I, as you told me to come in when we spoke yesterday."
"Not at all." Blaine told him. "There's coffee in the pot on the table if you're interested." Scott shook his head, yet thanked him. "I was simply going over my schedule. It didn't look this full initially."
"It's not, if you look at it in it's entirety." Scott said in response. "Yet, there are a few times where it feels more like a tour."
"That's what I was thinking." Blaine replied. "Is next weekend the logistical mess it seems?"
"Strangely, you've had worse, yet traffic could be an issue." Scott told him, before taking a seat, as Blaine sipped his coffee. "Which is why Tess arranged for a helicopter to be available to get you to the venue on Friday due to the rehearsal."
"I don't go on till later, but, sound check." Scott nodded. "If it's going to be an issue, my Dad could…"
"Blaine, Vincent approved the expense, relax. If you don't believe me, call him yourself." Scott said to him, only to earn a smile from Blaine, who knew he was telling the truth. "Speaking of your schedule, do you foresee any court appearances coming up?"
"No, as unless my presence is requested, I don't have to be there. Judge Watkins knows it's best I not be present." Blaine told him, before making a note on his set list. "The same goes for Sebastian. Our presence simply antagonizes him, which only makes matters worse, if that's possible."
"After everything I've seen, don't even put that out there." Blaine couldn't help but laugh, yet quickly composed himself as he could tell Scott was being serious.
"I don't want you to think I'm, we're taking this lightly, it's just…I can't live my life, afraid of what he might do next."
"That's, an acceptable answer." Scott replied, his disposition changing now that he had a better understanding of Blaine's mindset. Before he could say anything else, the doorbell rang, causing him to look at Blaine. "Expecting someone?"
"Yes, I'm getting my hair cut and Tess felt it best to send the stylist to me, verse me going out." Blaine told him while setting his cup of coffee down. "I was going to wait, yet Santana mentioned if I did it right before Cooper's wedding, it might get people talking, and…"
"You don't want that."
"Affirmative." Blaine said, as he got up to follow him down. "And while I thought about going short, Bas mentioned it might give my fans a bit of a heart attack. So, I called Whitney to get her take on it, let her know what I was intending to do."
"And the verdict?"
"Similar to the length I had it when Bas and I got married, so, definitely shorter than it is now, yet not overly short." He replied as they walked down the stairs.
"I've never seen you with short hair come to think of it."
"Remind me once my haircut is finished to show you a picture of me from high school. Once you see it, you might get more of the jokes regarding my current hair style from the guys."
"Consider me, intrigued." Hearing Blaine laugh, Scott smiled. "You're being serious, aren't you?"
"I am. To put it mildly, I had a bit of an issue with hair gel."
"Bit of an issue?"
"You'll see."
While Blaine was getting his hair cut, Scott made himself busy, double-checking all the arrangements for the weekend. Regardless of how well-behaved Blaine's fans were, he was never going to chance his safety, nor that of his band. During this time, the doorbell rang again, only for Blaine to respond, saying he wasn't expecting anyone. With that said, Scott made his way to the door to find out who it could possibly be. It only took one look at the monitor to see it was Rachel, so he happily opened the door. "I must say, I wasn't expecting to see you today Scott." Rachel said to him as she made her way inside. "Where's Blaine?"
"Downstairs, currently getting his hair cut?"
"Really?" Scott nodded before motioning for her to follow him down. "Is it a personal choice, or because of, you know." She said, not wanting to risk being overheard.
"You'll have to ask him, but I think it's his call, but he did confer with Whitney."
"Smart man, not that he doesn't dashing with his long curls."
"Thank you Rach." Blaine replied as they entered the room. "May I ask what brings you by, as shouldn't you be getting ready to head to the theater. I mean, it's a two-show day."
"I'm heading there, from here." Rachel told him as she took a seat across from him, so as not to get in the way of the stylist. "That's a bit of hair on the floor, didn't realize it was that long."
"The curls are deceptive." Blaine said in response. "Now, what brings you by?"
"We can talk about it when you're done." At those words, Blaine's stylist told her how much longer it would be, sensing a bit of urgency in her voice. By the time his stylist finished, Scott excused himself to go make some call, giving the two some privacy to talk. "He didn't need to go on my account, it's not like he isn't familiar with everything going on." Rachel said as he looked in the mirror. "Sebastian's going to love it, not that he cares, he loves you."
"True, something I don't take for granted in the slightest." Blaine told her, before giving himself one last look prior to them heading upstairs. "Now, what's going on?"
"Burt's agreed to go into couple's counseling." Rachel replied, causing Blaine to look over at her. "My Dads were as shocked, as they didn't think he'd go for it given what they know."
"While I'm shocked, for Carole's sake, I hope he actually means it. And that he's not just using it as a way to get her home." Upon hearing her giggle, Blaine looked at her again. "Let me guess, I'm not the first to say that."
"You're not, each of my Dads said it, as did Santana, and her Mom. Him agreeing to counseling, isn't bringing her home, yet, she's still staying with my Dads. Who have told her she's welcome to stay as long as necessary, within reason of course."
"Of course, and knowing Carole, she hates imposing on them."
"She does. Yet right now, she shouldn't be alone, she needs a support system."
"Is Burt still coming by daily?"
"No, as my Dads made it clear to him, he has to give her space, otherwise, he's only aggravating her more, prolonging the situation." Rachel told him. "They don't believe he realizes how hard it was for her to leave, yet he left her no other choice as he simply wouldn't listen. Speaking of, what did you and Sebastian do?" The instant he feigned innocence, Rachel placed her hand on his thigh. "Blaine, I won't judge."
"We merely shared some information pertaining to what he was up to when he and I were married." Her eyes went wide at his admission. "You can breathe easy, it was relatively tame, but got the point across."
"It did, as Carole told my Dads that Kurt was basically doing everything he accused you of doing. You have to believe me Blaine, I had no idea."
"I do, as he did a good job of hiding it from anyone who would actually call him out on his BS, or worse, tell me." Blaine said as he placed his hand over hers. "Which meant making sure you and Santana in particular, didn't know."
"Did anyone he work with know?" Blaine nodded. "Seriously, and they didn't tell you?"
"No, and per Kyle, most everyone he interacted with who didn't know me, he either denied being married, or said we had an open marriage."
"The more I find out, I…"
"Rach, he had everyone fooled, don't blame yourself as it won't get you anywhere. Something I learned the hard way."
"You deserve to be enjoying your life with Sebastian, I'm sorry for dumping this on you."
"Trust me, we're enjoying our life together." Causing her to giggle. "We simply don't allow his actions to dictate how we live, which isn't always easy."
"That's what I'm talking about, he shouldn't even be a factor."
"He was more of a factor early on, now, he's more of an annoyance than anything else."
"Still you guys shouldn't even have to think about him." Rachel said in response.
"None of us should, as we've all moved on with our lives, he's the one living in the past."
"Tell me about it, per my Dads, Carole said Kurt still believes I'll come to my senses regarding Thad. They in turn told her, he's only fooling himself, because it won't happen. Regardless of what he thinks, Thad's a good guy, and he and I are getting married whether Kurt approves or not."
"I hope you're prepared for some sort of outburst, even if he's not supposed to speak out against you."
"Excuse me?"
"Never mind."
"Blaine Devon Anderson-Smythe, what, don't I know?"
"Does it really matter?" When she crossed her arms before her, he sighed. "Clearly, it does. Fine, Judge Watkins told him he needs to refrain from going after you. While it's not enforceable in the same way him going after me, Bas or our families are, he'd get a verbal scolding to say the least."
"When did this happen?"
"After the fit he threw upon learning you and Thad got engaged, at least I believe that's when." Blaine told her. "If you want an exact hearing though, I'd have to look through the court notes Xavier's given us. Plus, we, might've warned him to leave you alone."
"Blaine, I can handle myself."
"I know you can, heck even Bas knows you can, yet his anger at you, stems from your support of us. Sure, he would've been pissed either way about you being with Thad, but we play a part in his treatment of you."
"Still, you shouldn't have."
"Agree to disagree, and if you want to take it further, take it up with Bas." When she tilted her head, Blaine smiled. "He cares about you Rach."
"I care about him too, which makes my earlier treatment of him disgraceful. At times, I can't believe he ever forgave me." Rachel said to him.
"He forgave you, because he understood why you acted the way you did." Blaine replied. "I'm glad you listen to me, and actually got to know him."
"I am too. And as Santana constantly reminded me, if he was who I thought he was, you wouldn't have been head over heels for him. She was a staunch support of you two almost from the get go, even if she initially warned him."
"She wouldn't have been her, if she hadn't, and he understood that. Now onto a happier subject, how's the wedding planning going?"
"Shouldn't you be more concerned with Cooper's or Wes's?"
"Cooper's, is a done deal essentially, and for that matter, Wes's isn't all that different. You my dear, are still in the planning stages, so?"
"Honestly, it gets a bit overwhelming at times, but it's going well. Shelby and Santana really have been godsends, the same with Quinn." Seeing him smile, she did so as well. "We've all come a long way, haven't we?"
"We certainly have." He replied. "I forgot to ask, but is Beth going to be part of the wedding."
"She is, and I actually asked Quinn if she was comfortable with it, before I even asked Shelby about asking her. I didn't want to make it awkward for anyone."
"Given the amount of time Quinn actually spends with Beth now, I take it, it wasn't an issue."
"Not at all. Speaking of, you don't have to worry about going dress shopping with us."
"Not that I would've minded, but thank you, as my presence could make things awkward."
"Santana mentioned that too. Last thing anyone needs is a bunch of women going crazy in a dress shop because you're there." Blaine couldn't help but laugh. "You know it's true, and Santana had quite the dramatic moment when we talked about it."
"I can only imagine. But should you need me, for anything, don't hesitate, please."
"I promise, I won't." She told him. "Not that I didn't understand earlier, but now I truly get why you and Sebastian were so grateful for your Moms when it came to planning everything."
"We gave them our vision, and they put it together. You did ask for a list of all our vendors, right?"
"I did, which I'm so grateful for. It's still a lot to process, you know?"
"I do. Because while they handled most everything, they didn't leave us out of the loop. My best advice, take it day by day. Remember, you've got time."
"True." Rachel then moved to get up. "I should probably get going, as you clearly have things to do since Scott's hear."
"Rachel, if I didn't have time to talk, I would've said so. We're simply going over my schedule for the next couple of weeks since there's a lot going on."
"Are your parents excited?"
"They are, as they're overjoyed for Cooper and Whitney. She's everything they ever hoped for, for Coop, as she gets him and hasn't tried to change him. She loves him for who he is, quirks and all." Hearing her giggle, Blaine smiled. "And I'm honored to have been asked to stand at his side when they exchange vows."
"I can't wait to hear all about it as I've no doubt it'll be lovely."
"Based on everything I know, it should be. The ceremony setting, is breathtaking from the pictures I've seen."
"You and Sebastian better take a lot of pictures."
"We will do our best." He told her. "Are you going to be okay?"
"In what regard?"
"Rach, I know you moved on from the subject, but I know it's got to be hard on you what's going on with Carole."
"You're right, it is hard as she doesn't deserve this. Heck, she never should've been dragged into this from the start. Yet I know deep down, Finn would be proud of her for standing up for herself. And whether Kurt believes it or not, there is no way he would've given him a free pass regarding what he did to you. Sure, he might've initially taken his side, but once the facts came out, he wouldn't have ignored them. Just as he wouldn't have stood silently by as Kurt attacked anyone who disagreed with him."
"Particularly you." Bringing a saddened smile to her face. "Even though you two weren't together when he passed, doesn't change the fact that a part of you still loved the other." Blaine added. "It's why all the things Kurt said to you about him, don't ring true."
"I know. I can't help but feel partially responsible for what's happening to her Blaine, as it's because of me, she got dragged into this."
"Yes, him attacking you pulled Carole further in, but she was already involved Rach." He told her. "It's like a conversation Bas and I constantly have regarding his involvement. Sure, he's an issue, but he's not at the root of the issues between me and Kurt."
"He just added fuel to the flames."
"Exactly. For better or worse, this situation is a perfect storm as so many outside forces are in play."
"I hadn't ever thought of it that way before."
"Courtney, Sam's girlfriend actually referred to it as that, and it was great analogy."
"From the time I spent with her, she seemed really nice, and clearly adores him."
"She is, and the feelings are mutual between them." Blaine said before glancing over the hallway where Scott had just walked by. "Try not to overthink everything that's going on back in Lima, as it won't get you anywhere."
"Do you take that advice yourself?"
"I try to, and when I don't, Bas is the first to remind me of it. Instead, focus on you, Thad, and your life together. Everything else, is outside noise."
"Easier said than done."
"Trust me, I know that all too well. But you can't let that situation affect you, as really, it has no impact on it." He replied. "Sure, Carole is currently staying with your Dads, but outside of that, nothing else has changed. And according to my Mom, your Dads haven't let it really change their life, so you need to follow their lead. Don't give him that power Rach."
"Now that's a statement, I can remember, as I'm sure it's something you think about."
"I do, whenever I get frustrated with everything that's happening." He then looked at the clock. "I would love to talk more, but you need to catch a train otherwise, you're probably going to be late, and I know that's something you don't like to be."
"You're right." Rachel replied before getting up, only for Blaine to follow. "Thank you, for listening as I needed it."
"I'm always here for you, you know that." Blaine said before giving her a hug. "Why don't you or Thad get in touch with Bas and figure out a time for us all to get together."
"Sounds like a plan." Rachel told him before giving him a kiss on the cheek, then heading on her way, leaving Blaine to pick up with Scott, where they left off.
