Two Steps Beyond
Part 110
To say the others were taking their upcoming performance serious was proven when Jeff came home from class one afternoon and found Brittany ready to head out. "Shouldn't you be at work?" He asked noticing her gym bag on her shoulder.
"Lexi has a meeting with her editor so she doesn't need me anymore today. And that works well because I need to meet Brody and Hunter at the gym."
"I understand meeting Brody since you guys have been working on choreography non-stop since Blaine and I talked about this with everyone. But what does Hunter have to do with it? And why are you meeting at the gym and not the studio?"
"Aren't you full of questions today?' Brittany said with a smile. "Do you have homework to do?"
"No, I finished it earlier, why?"
"Come with me and you can get a sneak peek of what we're doing. But you might want to grab your gym clothes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Now go get your stuff and I'll call Brody and let him know you're coming with." Jeff looked at Brittany and nodded before taking his bag to their room and grabbing his gym bag. Once they were on the subway, Jeff got ready to get off when Brittany took ahold of his hand and brought him back down next to her. "This isn't our stop."
"Britt, this is the stop for the gym."
"We're not going to your usual gym so sit. We've got a couple more stops." The two of them continued their conversation throughout the rest of the ride. Most of it pertained to what Brody and Brittany had come up with so far. And from what Jeff could make out of it, it was going to be amazing. When the guys said they were game for whatever they came up with he hoped they realized just what the two were capable of. When they finally arrived at their stop and headed up the stairs Jeff took a look around to get his bearings while Brittany gave his hand a tug and pulled him along behind her.
After signing in, they headed through a set of double doors and were surprised to see Brody standing there. "I see curiosity finally got the better of you, huh Jeff?" He said as they headed towards where Hunter was.
"You could say that. Has Rachel been by yet?"
"Not here, but she stopped by the studio a couple of days ago."
"Where's Hunter?" Jeff asked as they headed towards a quiet back corner.
"He's right there." Brody replied as he pointed across to the guy who was currently tumbling across the floor.
"That's Hunter?" Jeff asked, as his eyes widened. While he knew Hunter could tumble from what he'd done for them during the summer. This was something entirely different. It was clear what Hunter had done during the summer was more about keeping it simple than what he was capable of.
"He's good, isn't he?" Brittany said with a big smile.
"Real good. Please tell me you don't expect us to do something like that."
"We don't." Brody said before calling out to Hunter over the music. "We've got company today." Upon hearing that Hunter made his way across the floor. "You looked good."
"Thanks! It's fun to fly once in a while. So, what do we owe this pleasure today?"
"Jeff wanted to see what we were doing." Brittany told him.
"Why don't we show him then Britt?" Hunter said with a smile before she nodded in response. As she got ready, Hunter told Brody that the docking station was near his bag.
"Care to tell me why their doing this on this sort of floor versus solid ground?" Jeff asked as they walked towards Hunter's bag.
"Because this floor was safer for Brittany and I to practice on. And don't worry; we've already done this stuff in the studio, so it's okay. But if we're doing it a lot, this way is the better way to practice. Plus Brittany and I had quite a bit of ground to gain, since there really isn't anything Hunter can't do."
"Is it just the three of you tumbling?"
"No, Hailey is as well. She's been a gymnast probably as long as Hunter has. So, let's take a seat and see what they can do." Shortly after Brittany and Hunter started, Brody joined them on the floor as Jeff watched. The more he watched, he saw that Brittany and Brody seemed to have brought Sebastian's vision to life. While some of the dance moves were a bit intense, the girls were going to bring something they'd never had before.
After they finished, Jeff just stared at the three of them. "What did you think?" Brittany asked as they walked closer.
"That was amazing! By chance, have you already decided who the dance partners will be for certain parts?"
"We have. From the music the guys sent, it's going to be you, Nick, Blaine, and Sebastian out front for quite a bit." Brody said. "So, Britt's going to be paired up with Seb. You with Santana. Nick's going to be with Hailey, while Blaine gets Rachel."
"Not that I mind, but why is Seb dancing with Britt and not me?"
"Sebby's taller than you by a couple of inches. And since us girls will be wearing heels, and need to be hidden from view I need to be with Sebby since he's the tallest of you four and I'm the tallest girl."
"Are we their only dance partners?"
"No, because they'll be dancing with a few of us while you guys do the ballad as well as the finale. I'll be dancing with Santana. Hunter will be dancing with Brittany. David with Hailey and depending on set up Thad, Dave, or Wes will be dancing with Rachel. So, ready to give things a try?"
With Hunter by Jeff's side, Brody started to go through the choreography with him while Brittany worked on a few things. Considering Jeff was one of the best dancers in their little group, it was going to benefit all of them if he started to learn the choreography before anyone else. At times when he got frustrated, Hunter reminded him to relax. While Hunter had a decent handle on things, he'd also been doing them for longer. "So you guys know, Seb and David are the other best dancers."
"We knew about Seb from Britt, but thanks for the heads up about David. It's nice knowing there are other strong dancers in the group." Brody told him as they worked on a certain sequence. While it wasn't necessarily difficult, teaching it was going to take a bit of time because of timing. But having the three guys along with Brittany it was making things a bit easier.
"Have you guys begun teaching anyone else?" Jeff asked as they took a break.
"Rachel and Santana have joined us in the studio a few times." Brody told him. "And once Britt got the choreography down, we recorder her performing the first number and sent it to Hailey. Now, Britt said it won't be a big deal, but are Blaine or Seb going to have a problem with what the girls are doing?"
"Absolutely not. While they're both gay, they'll have no problems with the girls dancing against them. They've said numerous times they both find girls attractive, it just stops at a certain point. So asking them to pull off being attracted to the girls won't be a problem. Plus, you've given them partners they both adore." When Hunter laughed Jeff looked at him, slightly confused. "What?"
"I told Brody he was over-thinking it. I agreed with Britt when she said they wouldn't have a problem."
"Fine, I was over-thinking. But I've been around enough gay guys who are dancers, to know that some don't want a girl dancing against them in what is basically a sexual manner." Brody said.
"That won't be an issue with Blaine or Seb, trust me." Jeff told them. While Brody was working with Jeff on another part of the dance, Hunter was off to the side with Brittany. "What are they doing now?"
"It's something Britt wants to try for the finale, but she's still not sure. A lot of it will depend on how the girls feel about getting thrown around like Hunter's doing to her right now."
"I know Santana won't mind as long as whoever is tossing her around promises not to drop her."
"Understandable. From this moment, if they agree, Hunter is obviously Britt's partner since they've already developed the trust."
"Uh, unless you're going to let Beat do it, you better be Santana's partner."
"Britt said the same thing. As of right now, Beat, James, and Flint are in their own little part of the routines. That way they can concentrate on what they do best. And with these dance moves, the backbeat has to be strong."
"I can tell you, you just made Beat a happy man without knowing it. When we put things together last year he made a point of wanting his part kept simple so he could do his thing."
By the time Jeff and Brittany returned home that evening both Nick and Santana were there, curled up on the couch watching a movie. "So nice of you both to return." Nick said without turning to face them. "Have fun?"
"We did, though Jeff's sore." Brittany replied as Santana laughed loudly. While Jeff was going to ignore it, soon Nick started to laugh as the two started to exchange reasons why Jeff could be sore.
"Either you both stop or its no-holds barred after this weekend." Jeff stated as he and Brittany walked around to the other couch and sat down. There was something about Jeff's tone and the look on his face that the two of them quickly quieted. "Smart move."
"Wow, someone's crabby." Santana said. "Maybe you and Britt should go do some of the things we mentioned."
"As much as I'd love to, the only thing I plan to do after getting off this couch is taking a hot shower, some ibuprofen, and going to bed."
"What the hell were the two of you doing?"
"Jeff came to the gym with me." Brittany replied. "He started to learn the choreography, plus Hunter taught him to do a back-flip. He got really good."
"Wait, you're sore from dancing?" Nick asked as he sat up slightly. "You rarely get sore from dancing."
"It wasn't just the dancing. Let's just say I didn't stick my first few landings on my backflips and landed on my ass."
"At least it wasn't your head." Santana replied.
"That's thanks to the harness Hunter hooked me up to, otherwise I probably would have. I can honestly tell you guys, you're going to be sore this weekend."
"Oh and Santana, for part of the routines I'm your dance partner and the other parts Brody is."
"Why can't I dance with Nicky?"
"Because he's going to be dancing with Hailey during the part I'm dancing with you."
"Whose Britt dancing with then?"
"I'm dancing with Sebby because he's the tallest. Then for the other parts I'm dancing with Hunter."
"Who am I dancing with then?" Nick asked.
"You'll be dancing with Hailey as I said, while Blaine dances with Rachel."
"Should I even ask why we have two different dance partners?" Santana asked as she turned slightly in Nick's arms to face Brittany and Jeff a bit more.
"During the first part, it's more about us and dancing against the guys." Brittany told her. "And during the other part, you'll see why."
"That's not fair Britt."
"I know. Do you trust Brody?"
"I do, why?"
"Good, because you're going to need to." Jeff replied. "I saw what they have planned and you'll need to trust him. Britt's already got the trust going with Hunter and I can honestly say I'm glad she does."
"What do you two have planned?" Nick asked.
"Put it this way." Jeff told them. "The choreography is as difficult as it was last year and some parts truly push the envelope. Be thankful we'll have the ballad to relax a bit, because they truly brought it for the opener and the finale."
"Is Jeff exaggerating Britt?" Santana asked.
"Not really. While some parts are going to look difficult at first, they're pretty easy to learn. Jeff learned the whole opener tonight plus parts of the finale."
"How did you end up learning it early?" Nick asked.
"Britt was heading out when I got home and I asked where she was going. She then told me and invited me along. One thing led to another and I learned the opener. Brody was pretty happy about it because now there are three of us guys that know what's going on. So now, Britt can concentrate on teaching the girls while Hunter and I can help Brody with everyone else."
"Beat's not going to be happy."
"No, we made sure his part was simple but still meshed with the rest of the number. I remembered that from last year." Brittany told Nick.
"When the four of us put the opener together, it was pretty awesome, if I'm being honest. I can't wait to see the whole thing put together." Jeff told them.
"With what you guys have planned, you remembered we'll be singing, right?" Nick asked.
"We did. It's choreographed appropriately." Brittany replied with a smile.
"She's right, they took that into consideration. And Brody said if we have to tweak things if we find out that they don't work, it's not a big deal."
"Am I going to have to learn to do a backflip?" Nick asked.
"Nope. Only five of us have to do them."
"Who are the five?"
"Obviously Brody and Hunter can do them. I can, though I'm going to practice quite a bit as I'd like to make it look as easy as Brody and Hunter can. David can do one as can Wes." Jeff then cocked his head to the side. "You look nervous Nick."
"I'm not nervous as much as I'm now anxious to see what they have in-store for us."
"Put it this way; remember when Seb asked the girls if they minded getting sexy?" Nick nodded. "That notion is being embraced. Safe to say it's a good thing we're all as close as we are. But if don't mind, I'm going to go take a shower. Gonna join me Britt?" Brittany nodded. "Well then, we'll see you both in the morning. Night!" Once the two of them left the room, Santana turned so that he legs were now across Nick's lap and they were looking at each other.
"Talk to me?" Santana said as she reached out and took Nick's hand that wasn't around her into hers. "Was Jeff right, are you nervous?"
"No, I'm just anxious. I can honestly say from what they said, I can't wait to see what they have in-store for us. Britt pushed us to our limit last year and we were better off for it. So the fact that she and Brody put this together I can only imagine what they have planned."
"Do you mind that I'll be dancing with Jeff and Brody?"
"No. From what Britt said the first part when you're dancing with Jeff it all has to deal with height, so I get that. And considering they were talking about trust and that Britt's dancing with Hunter I can only imagine what's going to happen. Do you think you'll be able to trust Brody?"
"I do and like you I'm curious as to what they're having us do. But to be safe, we should probably behave a bit Friday night. We can't risk over doing it."
"Is that so?" Nick said as she rested her head on his shoulder. "What do you say we do then? Just sleep Friday night?"
"Uh, no. I'm just saying we can't do anything crazy, that's all. There is no way I'm going to pass up an opportunity to be with you just because we need to dance the next day."
"You won't get any complaints from me."
"If I did, we might have a problem. What do you say we take a page out of there book?"
"Are thinking shower or going to bed?"
"Shower, then bed. Curling up in bed with you after a shower is something I happen to enjoy."
"Is it now?" Nick replied, cocking his eyebrow a bit.
"You know it is Nicky. So, are you going to keep asking questions or are you going to join me in the shower?"
"Why don't you get it started and I'll be right in."
"Alright, just don't take too long." Santana then stretched a bit and kissed him on the cheek. "You know I hate to be kept waiting."
"I know. I promise I won't be long." After giving Nick another kiss, Santana got up off the couch and headed towards the bedroom. She'd barely left and Nick began straightening up once it turned the television off. One of the things he and Jeff had agreed to was that whoever was last to head to bed would make sure things were straightened up before calling it a night. Since it had been only him and Santana at home that evening there really wasn't much to do. So once he picked up their glasses and took them to the kitchen he headed for his bedroom as well.
When he closed the door he could already hear the shower running. While his room and Jeff's were of equal size, his had one advantage, the attached bath since it was the master. After changing out of his clothes he walked towards the bathroom and just leaned against the frame for a moment. "Joining me?" Santana asked as she turned her head.
"Yea, was just enjoying the view for a moment." He replied as she stuck her head under the water.
"Trust me, the view is better inside." She replied after she'd wet her hair.
"Is that so?" He asked as he walked closer.
"It is."
"Guess I'm just going to have to see for myself." He told her before stepping in behind her.