Two Steps Beyond
Part 33
By the time Nick, Jeff, and Brittany awoke the next morning Blaine and Sebastian were just coming back from a morning run. "How'd you all sleep?" Sebastian asked while pulling off his sweat drenched shirt.
"Good." Nick replied. "And please don't let our presence stop the two of you from taking a shower."
"What, you don't find sweat endearing?" Blaine asked with a laugh before removing his shirt as well. "Fear not, we were actually just going to shower."
"B's right. So, make yourselves at home and I'm sure you'll find something you want to eat in the kitchen since my sister went a bit overboard."
"Thanks." Jeff replied. Just as Nick and Jeff headed for the kitchen Brittany stopped Blaine and Sebastian.
"What is it Britt?" Blaine asked.
"I was supposed to give this to you last night but it slid to the bottom of my bag and I couldn't find it." She then handed Blaine an envelope.
"What's this?"
"Don't know. Logan gave it to me yesterday to give to you but didn't tell me what was in it."
"Brittany hun, you coming?" Jeff called out.
"I've gotta go." Once she walked out of the room Blaine looked up at Sebastian who just shrugged his shoulders.
"Why don' you open it after our shower because Nick was right, we need it."
Once they were done with their shower and dressed Blaine grabbed the envelope before heading into the kitchen to eat. When they arrived they were surprised to see that Nick and Jeff were cooking. "You said to make ourselves at home, hope you don't mind." Jeff said while setting the plates on the table.
"You didn't have to cook for us." Sebastian said.
"We know, but if we're cooking for three what's two more." Nick replied.
"I didn't know you two could cook."
"After breakfast foods our skills are a bit sketchy." Jeff replied.
"What was in the envelope Blaine?" Brittany asked causing Nick and Jeff to look at him.
"I haven't opened it yet." Sebastian then pushed the envelope towards him.
"I think it's time you find out." Sebastian said to him. Blaine then carefully opened the envelope and was surprised to see what looked like money wrapped in a letter. After placing the money on the table he began to read.
"Did any of you know about this?" Blaine asked before setting the letter down and counting the money. After receiving confused looks from all of them Blaine realized they were as confused as he was.
"What's all that money for B?" Sebastian asked.
"The guys decided to chip in for the replacement vase."
"They did what?" Jeff asked while he and Nick brought the food to the table.
"There is fourteen hundred dollars here which means you and I are only responsible for two hundred a piece."
"Make that a hundred a piece." Nick said while looking at Sebastian who just nodded.
"You really don't have to do that." Blaine said.
"We know, but if the rest of the guys can chip in so can we."
After they finished breakfast, Brittany headed off to take a shower leaving the four of them in the kitchen to finish cleaning up. "Nick."
"Yes Seb."
"Santana is staying at Beat's house."
"I guess that means you talked to one of them."
"We spoke with Beat last night but he couldn't give many details. But know the guys are going to look out for her."
"I know. How's Dave?" Jeff looked at Nick and then at Blaine and Sebastian. It was pretty clear from the look Jeff had no idea what else happened.
"Good, his Dad said he should be able to get everything dropped." After answering Nick's question, they filled in Jeff on the details of what happened at least what they knew. The more they spoke he realized why they didn't say anything around Brittany knowing she'd get worried.
"Is there anything we can do?" Jeff asked.
"According to Beat, not at this time. But I told him to let us know if anything changes." Sebastian replied.
It wasn't long after Nick and Jeff had showered and gotten dressed did the five of them get ready to head out and check out the city. The guys were all talking about where to go first when the doorbell rang. Since the guys seemed to be deep in conversation Brittany offered to get the door. Upon opening the door she just looked at the two gentlemen in front of her. "Hi."
"Hello. Is Sebastian here?"
"Yes."
"May we see him?"
"He's busy."
"This is rather important. Would you mind getting him for us?"
"Britt, who's at the door?" Blaine asked as he walked down the hallway.
"Two guys with funny accents want to see Sebby, but I told them he was busy since you guys were talking." After hearing her answer Blaine's thoughts went to the worst case scenario.
"Why don't you go wait with Jeff and I'll take care of this, okay?"
"Alright." Once she was down the hallway Blaine walked to the door.
"Hi, may I help you?"
"You must be Blaine." When the man spoke, Blaine was relieved to hear a British accent and not a French one. "I'm Will Harper and this is Philippe Charvet."
"And just how do you know who I am?"
"I'm sorry; I'm a friend of Lexi's. She called me a couple of weeks ago and said she needed our assistance."
"Not to be rude, but do you mind waiting here so I can call her before this goes any further."
"Not at all, she said this would probably happen if Sebastian didn't answer the door." Blaine then closed the door and pulled his phone out of his pocket. And just as Will said, Lexi confirmed that she had called Will and that Philippe was a friend of his from Paris that would be of a great assistance. She also let Blaine know she had given Will the basics of what happened but he needed to speak with Sebastian. After his talk with Lexi, Blaine opened up the door.
"Sorry about that, but considering the situation I hope you understand."
"We do."
"Please come in." Blaine had just rounded the corner to the living room and Sebastian was about to speak when he noticed the two men behind Blaine. "You three are going to need to go exploring on your own for a while."
"Those are the two guys I was telling you about Sebby." As Brittany spoke Jeff slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close.
"Are you sure you want us to go because we can stay?" Nick said noticing the slight awkwardness that appeared on Sebastian's face.
"We're sure." Sebastian replied. "We'll give you a call when we can meet up with you guys, okay. Have fun!" Blaine then looked over at them and gave them a reassuring smile.
"I'll walk you guys to the door and I'll give you my keys in case we end up crossing paths."
"Why don't you both take a seat?" Sebastian said while Blaine walked Jeff, Brittany, and Nick to the door. Blaine had just come back to the living room as the gentlemen were finishing their introductions.
"Not to be rude, but we should probably do this in private."
"Blaine knows everything so he doesn't need to go anywhere."
"Are you sure because this could be a bit uncomfortable?"
"Like he said, I'm not going anywhere." Blaine said before taking a seat next to Sebastian.
"You both are just like your sister described."
"May I ask how you know her?" Sebastian asked.
"We met while she was going to school in England." Sebastian looked over at Blaine.
"I spoke with her Bas; she said if there was anyone that could handle this, it's Will. She trusts him."
"Do I get to know how you're going to make sure this isn't going to happen to anyone else?"
"Sebastian, I work for the S.I.S. and that's all I can tell you. But know that Philippe and I can help and we want to help. We just need you to fill in the blanks since Lexi said she didn't feel right sharing everything with us."
"Why were you so willing to come all this way without the whole story?"
"That was because I know she wouldn't have called me for help over something trivial. And I could tell just how bad things were considering she started to cry while talking to me."
"What about Philippe?"
"Think of him as my French counterpart."
"Is there a reason you're not speaking Philippe?"
"I thought it best if Will spoke considering his relationship to your sister."
"Just how well do you know my sister?"
"Nothing like that Sebastian, though it's not because I was never interested. I actually heard a great deal about you from her." Will then noticed Blaine cross his arms. "Fear not Blaine, I'm married. I've also met your brother and I'm very happy for them both. My wife and I actually had dinner with them while they were in town last year. Now, do you have time to talk or do you need to be with your friends?"
"We have time." Sebastian replied.
It was about four hours later when Nick, Jeff, and Brittany returned to the apartment. After not hearing from Blaine or Sebastian at all that day it was a bit difficult to enjoy themselves since things didn't feel right when they left. Though knowing the situation seemed off when they left, they made sure to call Blaine before returning to make sure it was alright. When they reached the living room they saw Blaine sitting watching television but couldn't see Sebastian.
"We're not interrupting, are we?" Nick asked, realizing something could've been happening.
"You're safe." Blaine replied while glancing back at them. Once they reached the couch they saw Sebastian asleep. "Sit, it won't bother him."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. So, did guys have fun?" Blaine asked while absent-mindedly running his fingers through Sebastian's hair.
"We did." Brittany said with a big smile. "We went to the Top of the Rock and the Empire State building and a bunch of other places. Is Sebby okay?" Her happy expression changing to one of concern after looking at Sebastian asleep.
"He'll be fine Britt. Are you three up for going out tonight?"
"Sure, but don't feel like you two need to entertain us." Nick told him.
"We know, but we want too. Plus tonight will be as much for us as you."
"Works for us. Will it just be the five of us?" Jeff asked.
"Rachel and Brody will be joining us as well as our friend Hunter."
"At least I won't be lone man out." Nick chimed in.
"That's what we thought as well. Just fair warning, Hunter can be pretty intense."
"How intense?"
"Intense. But if you can get passed that, he's pretty cool. If it makes you feel better, Rachel actually gets along with him, though it was a bit rough at first. He's like a combination of old Bas and Santana, just not as snarky."
"That's an interesting combination." Jeff told him.
"It's the best I can do right now. Just know there is a reason why Bas and I get along with him besides the fact that his sister is friends with Lexi."
"Do we know his sister since I remember meeting a few of her friends?"
"How's your memory from the wedding?"
"Decent."
"She was one of Lexi's maids of honor."
"The strawberry-blonde or the brunette?" Nick asked.
"The strawberry-blonde is his sister Cassie. The brunette is Tasha, Kurt's boss actually."
"Got it. Is he our age?"
"Yes, he's going to be a freshman at Columbia this year like Bas."
"Blaine."
"Yes Brittany."
"Are there anymore brownies left, I'm hungry?"
"In the kitchen." After Blaine answered Brittany told them she'd just bring whatever was left back in case anyone else wanted one.
"Knowing you like we do, is he okay?" Jeff asked motioning towards the sleeping Sebastian.
"He is actually. Today was a very good day no matter how awkward it might have been." There was something about the tone of Blaine's voice that neither Jeff nor Nick asked anymore questions about what happened while they were gone.
Meanwhile at Lexi and Cooper's, Lexi was getting filled in on what happened with Blaine and Sebastian. "I'm really sorry that they asked so many questions. I should've mentioned you were going to be stopping by when I spoke with them yesterday."
"Don't be, they were everything you told me. And considering, they were more open than I figured they'd be." Will told her.
"Does this mean you're going to be able to stop that bastard?"
"With all the information Sebastian gave us, we should be." Philippe told her.
"But like we told Sebastian, we might be back and…"
"He might have to return to Europe, I know. Please do everything you can to try and make sure that doesn't happen. It's bad enough that he had to relive it to talk to you."
"Well, he seems to have quite the support in you and Blaine. Who by the way is very much like his brother."
"That he is, though if you ever told someone Cooper could be serious, they'd laugh at you. My husband is a bit of a free spirit."
"Maybe, but it's clear that his brother loves yours very much. He looked on rather protectively the entire time. Making sure Sebastian was always comfortable given the situation."
"The feeling is mutual when it comes to the two of them. I need to thank you again for coming all this way Will. Cooper and I really appreciate it. I know I took a chance calling you, but given the situation I didn't know who else to turn to. I'm beyond thankful you were willing to come all this way without knowing all the facts."
"Like I told Sebastian and Blaine, I knew it was important considering you started crying while we were talking. I just wish that Sebastian wasn't so scared back then, my father would've been able to help."
"Same here, but he was doing what he thought was best for me. Would you have done anything different at his age?"
"I'd like to say yes, but considering the situation I probably would've done the same thing. I just wish that I knew what it was about Sebastian that has Jean so mesmerized."
"I honestly don't care what it is, I just don't want that sicko anywhere near my brother or Blaine again. I know the simple solution would be to just convince them to never go to Europe again, but that would never happen. Especially considering the wonderful time they had on their vacation there recently."
"Knowing Sebastian's love of Europe, you'd never be able to convince him to do such a thing. And now that we know we'll see to it that he and Blaine are free to come back without looking over their shoulders."
"Is it honestly possible?"
"It certainly is." Philippe told her. "Jean feels as though he is untouchable, but even he admitted he took a chance following the boys to Barcelona. I'd like to say that our investigation into him has gone completely unnoticed but I know that's not the case. But now thanks to Sebastian we have some details that no one but his inner circle would have."
"You'll make sure none of this can lead back to him, correct?"
"Correct." Will confirmed.
"You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"
"Lexi, you know me well enough to know I would never do that. If I thought we couldn't keep Sebastian out of this I would honestly tell you. And if anything changes in that regard I will let you know. But as of now, both Sebastian and Blaine won't be involved."
"What won't Bas and Blaine be involved in?" They all turned and saw Cooper standing there. "Hi Will."
"Cooper."
"Now that I see you're here I know what you're talking about." Cooper said before taking a seat. "Were they able to give you the information you need?"
"They were." Philippe replied.
"I'm sorry, Cooper, this is Philippe Chavert."
"Hello. Do you think you'll be able to put this bastard away?"
"Considering what we already know of him along with what Sebastian told us, I'm pretty sure we will be able to."
"Good. What he did to Bas was wrong on numerous levels."
"I certainly agree with you on that. We're always told not to make things personal, but considering I knew Sebastian in a way back then, I'm going to be walking a very fine line."
"I'm sorry for putting you in this situation Will."
"It's alright, who else were you going to call. If you went through proper channels it could've gotten messy and Sebastian could get pulled every which way. By getting in touch with me I will do everything I can to protect him."
"We appreciate that Will. The easier it is on Bas, the easier it'll be for all of us as bad as that might sound." Cooper said to him.
"I understand where you're coming from Cooper; you're worried about how this is going to affect your brother as well as your wife. Now if the two of you will excuse us we need to make a few calls before we head back tomorrow."
Once Cooper and Lexi walked them to the door and saw them out, Cooper wrapped his arms tightly around Lexi. "Have you heard from Bas since they visited them?"
"No and I'm not sure how I feel about that. A part of me hopes that since Blaine called me prior to the conversation everything is good. Another part of me is afraid he's angry with me and that's why he hasn't called."
"Why don't you just call him?"
"I don't want to bother him, especially since Nick, Jeff, and Brittany are with them."
"If it would make you feel better, I can call Blaine and see how things went."
"I would love you to but only if you can make it seem like you're not checking up on them."
"Lexi, what's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"This doesn't seem like you at all. Why don't you want them to know you're worried about them?"
"That would be because I know how fragile Bas was after he shared this information with Blaine and then with me, two people who love him. I just don't want to push since I don't know the state he's in."
"I'm going to call Blaine because you're obviously worried about Bas."
"Cooper."
"Don't worry, this will be just like any other conversation Blaine and I have."
"So you're going to make comments about their sex life."
"I don't always do that. I only do it when it's blatantly obvious they recently had sex. Or look like they're about too. And since this conversation is on the phone that won't happen, unless I hear obscene sounds in the background." Lexi just smiled up at Cooper before giving him a kiss.
"Alright then, just don't deliberately ask how Bas is unless you usually do. And don't push for more information than Blaine is willing to give."
"If it would make you feel better I can put the call on speaker if you're afraid I'm going to screw up."
"Go call him Cooper."
"No worries?"
"No worries, I'm sorry for overreacting."
"Lexi, you can overreact all you want because you're doing it because you love Bas."