Two Steps Beyond
Part 104
While Jeff and Blaine tweaked their arrangement prior to rehearsal on Tuesday, Jeff could tell Blaine's mind was elsewhere. "Somewhere else you'd rather be?" Jeff asked.
"No, it was just a long night last night. I probably should've gone home today and taken a nap."
"Seb keep you up?" Jeff asked with a smile.
"I can honestly say it wasn't Bas's fault. I was working on a paper and lost track of time. By the time I finally called it a night he was sound asleep. It wasn't till my second class today did it hit me just how late I stayed up. But I'll survive. Have you heard back from Megan?"
"I did and she and the girls were thrilled. Amazing you could tell them the same things Nick and I did but they listened to you."
"That's because I'm not their sibling. I'm sure there are plenty of things Coop's said to me over the years that I probably should've listened to but I ignored because they came from him. The fact that you guys are closer in age only makes matters worse."
"You could say that again."
While they spoke, Blaine managed to get his second or third wind as he seemed to be paying more attention. They were so caught up in what they were doing they didn't see the rest of the guys walk into the room. "Hey!" Dylan said as he approached the piano. "You guys have a good weekend."
"We did." Jeff replied. "You?"
"I did. What did you guys do after we left Blaine?"
"We just went home and relaxed. Did you guys go to that club?"
"We did. I'd ask you guys to join us next time, but you're a bit too young still." Dylan then headed towards the rest of the guys who were putting their things down.
"What was that about?" Jeff asked.
"We went out to dinner Friday night and ran into a few of Bas's teammates."
"Okay, but if you ran into Seb's teammates, how does Dylan fit in to all this?"
"He's dating Michael."
"No shit." Jeff said quietly. "Did you know he was gay?"
"Not till I saw them. So, don't say anything as I don't know if it's common knowledge."
"Got it. That must've surprised you and Seb."
"It did, talk about our two worlds colliding." As Blaine answered he noticed a piled of flyers that Dylan had placed on the piano. Slowly Jeff noticed Blaine's expression change as he read whatever was on the flyer. "I've got an idea."
"What is it?" Blaine then handed the flyer to Jeff. And soon, the same look Blaine had on his face crept to Jeff's. "They'd do it you know."
"I know. We'd just have to add a few to the mix."
"Looks like you guys are deep in conversation." Bryan said, as he approached the piano.
"Nothing too crazy." Blaine replied. "What's this about?" He asked while handing him the flyer.
"We're the hosts this year. It's a pretty crazy weekend. Clubs from all over the Northeast come to compete. And the open competition is always interesting."
"How so?" Jeff asked.
"When you don't have school resources it's harder to put something like this together."
"I could see that." Blaine replied. "While the school sponsored groups get clout and recognition, what do the open groups get?"
"There is a prize, plus they get opportunity to compete against the school sponsored groups. But most decline the opportunity since they don't stand a chance." When Bryan walked away, Jeff looked at Blaine.
"Your competitive drive is kicking in, isn't it?" Blaine nodded and Jeff swore one of Sebastian's patented smirks crept to Blaine's face. "Who are you thinking of for the extra bodies?"
"You'll see."
By the time the weekend rolled around everyone was more than ready for the weekend, as it had been too long since they'd all gotten together. Since the arrivals were staggered on Friday, they all didn't see each other until Saturday morning. As Blaine and Sebastian's living room started to fill up, Blaine looked across the room at Jeff, curious if he had a chance to broach the subject with Nick. "I'm sure he thinks it's a brilliant idea." Sebastian said as he leaned over Blaine's shoulder.
"How can you be so sure?"
"You thought of it." Blaine then turned his head slightly to kiss Sebastian on the cheek. "Thank you."
"Excuse me guys."
"What can we do for you this morning Hunter?" Blaine said.
"Brody and I were curious as to why you want us around since this seems to be a Warbler get-together." Blaine and Sebastian looked to the side and saw Brody standing next to Hunter.
"For starters, we want you here." Sebastian replied. "And secondly, you'll find out soon enough." The next thing they all heard was a cackle from Sebastian.
"Should we be afraid?" Brody asked.
"No, Bas is just being overly dramatic. But you shouldn't look at this as the Warblers getting together; it's just the guys getting back together. And you two are part of us. Just this time around, the rest of the guys are in town like during the summer." Blaine had barely finished speaking when the doorbell rang. He looked around the room and wondered who it could be since he swore everyone was there but the girls. But he knew they weren't going to be there for at least another thirty minutes. He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn't even notice Sebastian leave to answer the door till he heard Sebastian call for him. When he reached the door he couldn't believe who he was seeing. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Wes said you might need some help, hope you don't mind." Flint said as he, James, and David walked through the door.
"Not at all." Blaine said, unable to hide the smile on his face. While David knew Sebastian, Blaine introduced him to Flint and James. "Come on in, everyone else is already here." As they headed down the hall, Blaine took ahold of Sebastian's hand and gave it a squeeze before smiling happily up at him. "Guys, we need to make more room."
The reactions from the rest of the guys were similar to the way Blaine reacted, that is everyone but Thad. As the guys all started to catch up, Sebastian walked over to Thad. "Why aren't you acting like the others?" Thad looked up at Sebastian.
"Where do you think they all stayed last night?"
"Really?" Thad nodded. "Donovan didn't mind."
"They were planning on coming after Wes told them we were all getting together this weekend. So, I offered up my place so that everyone else would be surprised. Why, is something else going on?"
"Yes. It's just a matter if everyone agrees."
"To what?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Once the guys had all caught up, they all took seats in the living room, that is everyone but Blaine and Jeff. They were just about to start speaking when the girls came walking in. "Hi guys!" Brittany said.
"We're not interrupting, are we?" Santana asked, noticing there were people she didn't recognize in the room.
"You're not." Nick said. "Come, join us." Once the girls walked around the couches, they noticed there was nowhere to sit, so they all made themselves comfortable on their boyfriends' laps, except for Brittany who sat down on Sebastian's. After introductions were made, Blaine and Jeff each took a deep breath.
"What would you guys all say to performing again?" Blaine asked as he looked at the guys, hoping to get a read based on their expressions.
"Sure." Dave replied which the rest of them soon agreed to. "What for?" Blaine looked at Jeff.
"NYU is host to a show choir festival, but it's not your typical festival. While groups from all over the Northeast are competing, they also have an open category for non-school sanctioned groups. Winner of the open category not only receives a cash prize, but they're eligible to compete against the school groups." Jeff told them.
"Though most don't since they don't stand a chance." Blaine added.
"We looked at the rules, and there is nothing that says all performers have to be from the same school, nor does it say all performers have to be attending school."
"I think you boys should do it." Rachel said. "I have no doubt you'd be amazing."
"Thank you Rach." Blaine told her. "But the thing is, you need so many people to compete."
"Call in a few more of the guys." Santana said, but as she did Blaine and Jeff looked at each other. "What?"
"We don't want to call in more of the guys; we want you girls to join us."
"That's not funny Blaine." Santana told him.
"He's not kidding." Jeff told her. "Plus, you girls are honorary Warblers afterall."
"And before you ask, we want you guys to join us too." Blaine said, looking at Hunter and Brody. "So, what do you say, up for showing everyone else we've still got what it takes?"
"How do you plan to go about this Blaine?" James asked.
"Well, Jeff and I already started messing with a few ideas. But we'll need to come up with a set-list and go from there. It's going to take a lot of individual work since we won't all be together. We were thinking we'd get together every other weekend to rehearse. Though, those of you that aren't close we'd understand if you don't make it all the time. It's going to take a lot of commitment, but I'm positive we could do it."
"What about a rehearsal space?" David asked.
"Already taken care of." Sebastian replied.
"Cooper and Lexi's again?" Thad asked, and Sebastian nodded in response. "Sounds great to me, I've actually missed it. I didn't realize how much of an outlet performing had been. And think Beat, you'll have some bonafide help now."
"Tell me about it." He replied with a laugh.
"What, did you have to carry them on your own?" James asked.
"Not on my own, but it was harder than it was when you guys were around." When Santana started to giggle Beat looked at her. "What?"
"Nothing." She replied before beginning to laugh harder. It soon got to the point she excused herself from the room.
"Nick, what's going on?"
"We might've filled Santana and Britt in on some of your earlier behavior which brought on your penchant for older woman."
"You bastard!"
"I'm curious, what brought it on." Hunter said with a laugh.
"It's not important."
"Come on, you went after my sister." After Hunter answered, James and Flint looked at Beat before looking back at Hunter.
"What does she look like?" Flint asked.
"It doesn't matter, she's dating my brother." Thad said, catching them off guard.
"Wait, so the woman that was at your place last night, is your sister Hunter?"
"I don't know, was it Thad?"
"It was. Cassie came by after a late night at the office before they went out."
"Your sister is gorgeous." James said. "I could see why Beat was attracted to her."
"Imagine what you saw, but the first time I met her she was in a bikini."
"Okay, enough about my sister. What do you need from us?" Hunter said.
"Song ideas, though Jeff and I have quite a few. The sooner we decide the sooner we can begin work on the arrangements which will take a bit longer than usual since we have the girls to consider. Blaine said.
"And Britt, Brody, we were hoping you two would be up for figuring out the choreography."
"We can do that, right Brody." Brittany replied.
"We sure can." He said, giving her a wink. "Is there anything you guys can't do?"
"Britt knows our capabilities pretty well." Jeff said as Santana walked back into the room, having now composed herself.
"Did I miss anything?"
"No, we're just starting to figure things out." Sebastian replied.
"Question?"
"Yes Trent." Blaine said.
"Who's going to sing lead?"
"Jeff and I figured it would depend on our song selection, but we were hoping to disperse things pretty equally like we did this past year. That work for you?"
"Sure does, just thought I'd ask. You know I'm good with whatever you guys come up with. We won Nationals so I trust your judgment."
"Are you, our elders ready to keep up?" Dave asked.
"Trust us, we'll be fine." Flint replied. "These old dogs still have a few tricks up our sleeves."
"I hope so, considering the choreography we pulled off last year."
"What do you mean?" James asked.
"Didn't you see our performances this year?" Thad asked.
"Some, but I guess I didn't pay close enough attention. I was too busy listening."
"Put it this way guys, the Warbler two-step, is a thing of the past." Wes said.
"Why don't we watch it?" Brittany said. "I haven't seen it in a while."
"Guys?" Blaine asked. Since they all nodded Sebastian reached for the remote which was on the end-table while Blaine and Jeff found themselves a places to sit. Once they were settled, Sebastian headed for the Warblers link and pressed play. As they watched, the guys could see James and Flint were a bit taken with what they were seeing. Since most everyone's attention was on the television, no one really noticed when Wes, Beat, and Sebastian left the room.
"What is it you guys want to ask?" Sebastian said as he leaned against the counter in the kitchen.
"While we're all for performing, we're curious what prompted this in Blaine." Beat said.
"Is it because he got the performance bug, or is it to help take his mind off of everything that's going on around him?" Wes asked.
"It's a bit of both actually." Sebastian said. "We all admitted we miss performing, though it wouldn't be the same doing it with anyone else. And doing something Blaine truly enjoys will help him keep his mind in a better place."
"So everything that's going on does bother him." Beat said as he got a drink out of the refrigerator.
"It honestly depends on the day. It's usually only bad after he meets with someone from the DA's office. Anything else?"
"No, you said it all." Wes replied just as Blaine came walking into the kitchen.
"Am I interrupting?"
"Never." Sebastian replied. "They just had a couple of questions that I was more than willing to answer."
"Well, I'm going to head back." Beat said. "I'm afraid of what stories could be told."
"You're safe right now, they're watching sectionals." Blaine told him before he left the room. "Now, what were we really talking about?"
"We were just asking Seb how you were." Wes told him.
"You could've asked me."
"I know. But it just happened to be a timing thing. So, what do you think our chances will be?"
"From what I've been told, the open category is usually a joke so we shouldn't have a problem at all. As for the rest, I think we're more than capable of winning if we work hard. I know we've got the talent to do it. By the way, thanks for talking to James, Flint, and David."
"Not a problem."
By the time they returned to the room they could all tell the conversation had taken an interesting turn. "Should we even ask?" Sebastian said as they all sat down.
"You were right, Beat was first. But it wasn't till October." Santana said.
"What are you discussing?" Wes asked as he wrapped his arms around Hailey.
"Virginity." Rachel replied with a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Everyone in this room lost theirs during high school."
"Is that so?" Sebastian said.
"It is." Thad replied. "We vouched for you three."
"How kind of you." Blaine said as he glanced back at Sebastian. "What brought on this subject?"
"My giggle outburst." Santana replied. "Flint wanted to know what caused it and why Beat reacted the way he did to what Nicky said."
"I was corrupted."
"Right." James said with a laugh. "You were on your game from the start, that's what made you the perfect wingman. Flint and I didn't need to teach you much and you benefitted from hanging out with us."
"The benefit being older girls." Flint added. "Though, you never looked like a freshman when you were one. Unlike some of these guys who still had their baby-faces."
"I'm sure they were adorable." Hailey said.
"We were." Jeff replied.
"Hard to believe these are the shy boys we left behind." Flint said.
"Trust us, they're hardly shy anymore." Rachel replied.
"And just what are you implying Rachel." Thad asked.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about Thad."
"Come now, we can't be that bad if you fixed Thad up with one of your friends." Dave said.
"Fine, he's not as bad as a certain group of four."
"We demand representation….Hunter!" Nick said as Santana turned to glance at him and smile.
"Why me, you've got Seb." Hunter replied.
"The accused shouldn't represent themselves and Thad could be considered a material witness."
"Great, out us why don't you." Sebastian said in a mocking tone.
"Wait, are you saying the four are Nick, Jeff, Sebastian, and Blaine?" James asked.
"Exactly. But I wouldn't be surprised if the rest could be put into the same category." Rachel replied.
"How did I get dragged into this?" Jeff asked.
"You and Nick were inseparable all the way back then. If one does something, so does the other. And well, if Seb's implicated it's only fair to include Blaine since they're together." David said.
"Let's just say Blaine's embraced his dark side." Beat said with a laugh. "He's as bad as the rest of us."
"Is that true Blaine?" Flint asked.
"Yes, it's true. I've embraced it and they all still love me."
"Should we clear space?" Santana asked.
"Why?" Dave asked.
"Sounded like Blaine set himself up to perform."
"Santana's got a point." Hailey said. "So, are we going to get something?"
"You have to wait till tonight." Blaine replied.
"Well, that answers where we're going." Thad said. "I thought that was where we decided, but I wasn't sure."
"That we are and we've already reserved part of the lounge."
"It'll be the perfect opportunity to try out some songs." Dave said.
"Very true." Wes said. "Since we're going to try out songs, why don't we head out and make the most of the day."
"Works for us." Blaine replied.
"We need to shower first." Rachel said.
"Rach is right; we came straight from the gym." Hailey added.
"That's fine. Ladies, you know where the bathrooms are and you're more than welcome to use the one in our bedroom." Sebastian said.
"Cool. We won't be long." Brittany said as she got up off of Jeff's lap. Once the girls walked out of the room Flint took a look around.
"You guys seemed more than happy when they came back. What gives?"
"We're firm supporters of the class they're taking." Nick replied.
"And what type of class is that?" David asked.
"Pole dancing." Jeff replied.
"Are you serious?" James asked.
"He is." Wes answered.
"How did they get into that?"
"My sister." Sebastian replied. "They were curious how she got back into shape so quickly after having twins. So she took them along with her friend, which included Hunter's sister to a class."
"And they've been hooked ever since." Brody added.