Two Steps Beyond
Part 158
Once intermission rolled around they were about to leave the room but soon saw Bryan walking into it. "What's going on?" Jeff asked.
"Considering the way the crowd is reacting, Dylan is bringing everyone back to see you guys. We have a feeling you'd all be mobbed if you went out there."
"You're kidding?" Sebastian replied.
"Afraid not. Even with all the acts that have gone on since, all anyone can talk about is you guys. It's pretty clear they're all hoping you guys win and take part in the next round."
"If we win, they'll see us again." Blaine replied.
"Is there really any doubt little brother?"
"We haven't seen the rest of the competition Coop."
"Take it from us; you guys have nothing to worry about." Cassie replied. "No one can touch what you guys did. Now, I'm not saying some of the groups weren't good, but they can't hold a candle to you guys."
"Don't take this personally guys, but Blaine will be like this till he hears that we're the winners come out of the judges mouths." Dave told them. "He had doubts at every competition last year."
"Dave's right." Thad said. "The only one we were all truly nervous about was Nationals but that's to be expected."
"They're right; there will be no changing B's mind, so don't even try even if we were fabulous."
"Modest, aren't we." Tasha said.
"But of course. Now ladies, what did you think?"
"It was amazing." Nicole said. "It was everything we'd been told and so much more. I can't believe you guys pulled something like that off only rehearsing every other weekend."
"Those weekends we worked our asses off." James replied as he hugged her. "Now you know why I was always so tired when I came home. We made the most of every minute we had."
"Know that it was clearly noticeable."
"Lexi, what did you think?" Sebastian asked.
"Bas, do you really need to ask?"
"No, but I like getting my ego stroked as do the rest of us, so please, do tell."
"You were all brilliant! It made sitting through the rest of those acts worth it. How's that Bas?"
"Much better." He replied with a huge smile.
Once the intermission was over their friends and family went back to their seats while they got comfortable and waited for the rest of the acts to finish. "Is anyone else nervous?" Brittany asked as she leaned back against Jeff.
"We all are Britt." Thad replied. "Even Seb." Brittany looked over at Sebastian who nodded, hoping it would ease some of the tension. "Now Britt, how did your audition go?" As Thad asked, they all saw Jeff smile knowing this was exactly what Brittany needed to get her mind off of waiting.
"I got it." She replied coyly.
"You did?" Rachel exclaimed.
"I did, but I didn't want to say anything till this was over." While Brittany answered the guys stayed back as all the girls huddled around her and hugged her. It wasn't till the girls stepped away were the guys able to congratulate her.
"We're so proud of you Britt." Sebastian said after giving her a kiss. "And know we'll all be there opening night."
"You don't have to."
"We want too." Thad replied.
"Thad's right, there is no place we'd rather be." Hunter told her and everyone else agreed.
After the final act finished there was a brief break allowing the judges to speak. "If we're this nervous I can only imagine how they're feeling." Cassie said as she looked around. "I have no idea how you guys went through this with them three times last year."
"It was tough, but we were only there personally for two. We had to live through texts on the second one." Lexi replied. "Michael, have you heard anything yet?"
"Not yet, but Dylan doesn't think it'll be much longer since the rest of the groups are supposed to go on soon."
Shortly after Michael replied, the lights flickered and everyone took their seats once more. Cooper took ahold of Lexi's hand as they watched the judges take to the stage. As they spoke Cooper was thrilled that they weren't as long winded as some had been at the competitions they'd attended. With no one on stage other than the judges it was a bit offsetting compared to what they were used too. With as vast as the open category had been there were quite a few subcategories but only the main category was eligible to compete against the school sponsored groups.
With the announcement of the final category, they were all anxious though if they were being honest there was no doubt who won. Those feelings were soon confirmed as they were announced the winners and they took the stage to claim their prize. While they celebrated on stage it was clear the crowd agreed with the decision. "Now, by winning over all you're entitled to compete against the school sponsored groups." One of the judges announced. "Will you?" Blaine's reply of yes could barely be heard over the crowd's reaction. After taking one final bow they made their way off stage.
"That was crazy!" Jeff replied.
"No kidding." Dave said. "Now what?"
"You guys have about an hour or so till you need to go again." Dylan said as he walked up to them. "By the way, congratulations!"
"Thank you!" Blaine replied. "Good luck!"
"Thank you. Thankfully we won't be going up against you guys since you're co-ed."
"If you want we can do all-male acapella." Sebastian said. "We've got a big enough repertoire."
"No thanks. I like our chances better without you as competition."
"You have good reason too. You guys sound great." Jeff told him.
"Why thank you. Part of the credit goes to you and Blaine so if we win, we'll share it with you guys."
"You don't need to, but thank you." Blaine said before looking up at Sebastian. "Guess we better head back and warm-up once more. We'll see you afterwards."
"You can count on it."
While they set up the stage for the school sponsored groups, the crowd took the opportunity to mingle once more as well as get drinks. Quinn was speaking with Lexi and Cooper when she watched Cooper's facial expression change. "What is it?" Cooper moved his head and Quinn turned around to see Kurt and Chandler standing behind her. "Hello Kurt."
"Quinn."
"What may I help you with?"
"I'm going to respect Blaine and Sebastian's boundaries, but I was hoping you could tell them something for me."
"What would that be?" Cooper asked.
"Let them know their performance was incredible and that they truly deserved to win. I can only imagine how hard they worked since they all aren't here in the city."
"We'll let them know." Cooper replied. "Considering they rehearsed at our home I can tell you they worked their asses off."
"It showed. They looked and sounded amazing."
"Anything else Kurt?" Quinn asked.
"No, I just wanted them to know what I thought."
"We'll be sure to tell them." Lexi replied as Cooper put his arm around her.
"Thank you." As they walked away Lexi looked up at Cooper.
"We'll tell them afterwards." Cooper told her without her even asking. "I don't want anything else on their mind besides the task at hand. I've got to give him credit; it took guts to come over here."
"You're right, it did." Lexi replied. "Hopefully this truly is a new start for all of them."
While they warmed up once more, they all knew this time around they needed to remember to have fun or the nerves could easily get the best of them. They also knew the chances of winning slimmed down since they were going to be competing against groups that get to practice all the time. Once they'd discussed the slight changes they were making for this round they decided to head down towards the theater and enjoy the show.
With each group that went on, they all looked around as it was a vast improvement from what they'd heard earlier that day. "You do realize we're doing something they don't have to do, right." Wes said to no one in particular.
"What would that be?" Rachel asked.
"Perform twice." While the answer was so simple, Wes did have a point. All of the groups performing only had to perform once. They were going to have to prove themselves a second time. When Dylan, Bryan, and the guys walked into the wings they stopped to talk with Blaine and Jeff.
"I'm guessing you guys are next?" Jeff asked.
"We are." Bryan replied. "And take it easy on us afterwards since you know what it's supposed to look and sound like."
"Why should we take it easy, we don't do that during practice?" Jeff replied.
"Good point. Just cheer for us then."
"We can do that." Blaine replied.
Once the guys took the stage, Jeff moved towards the front with Blaine so he could get a better view. With as much time they'd put in, both Blaine and Jeff really wanted to see the guys do well. From the first note to the last the guys didn't disappoint. They nailed their performance beyond a question of a doubt. As they walked off the stage, they were all happy to see the big smiles Blaine and Jeff were wearing along with everyone else. It didn't take long for the congratulations to begin and the guys could tell they were heartfelt, and not solely being said because they were friends of Blaine and Jeff's.
"We'll be back here for your performance." Dylan said before they cleared the wing momentarily. But it wasn't long till they returned. "You guys ready?"
"We are." Jeff replied.
"Good luck!"
"Thanks!"
Once Jeff replied they waited for the previous group to leave the stage before heading on. "So, think it can work twice?" Sebastian asked as he took Blaine's hands as he had earlier that day.
"I don't see why not."
"Well then, ready to do this killer?"
"Absolutely!"
Since everyone else was already in place, Blaine and Sebastian were the last ones to take their spots after their brief moment together. They all barely had time for one last look at each other when they curtain rose once more. Unlike the calm of the crowd previously, the instant they were spotted the crowd erupted. If they weren't all so locked in, it could've easily thrown them off their game.
Even though the crowd knew what to expect, they were into each and every note and move. So much so that when things changed up slightly there was a huge reaction. From Hunter increasing the difficulty of his tumbling run, to the girls being more daring during the partner stunts. It was just enough to give the set a new breath of life. So when they finished once more they were all grinning from ear to ear. They knew they nailed it once again. It was only a matter of comparing it to the other groups. Once they walked off the stage, Dylan and the guys warmly welcomed them. "I can't believe, actually I can, that you guys changed your routine." Dylan said.
"We felt we needed to tweak it slightly if we moved on." Blaine replied as he caught his breath. "Nice to know the changes were noticeable."
"They certainly were." Bryan replied. "You might like to know that we're pretty sure everyone was watching your performance. Both wings were filled, plus we could spot people standing along the wall in the audience."
"Hopefully they enjoyed it." Brody said.
"We can tell you those in the wings were impressed." Dylan told them. "And that a few of you are going to have some explaining to do once you get back to school."
"We expected as much." Thad replied. "Now if you don't mind, we'd all like to sit down."
"Go right ahead, you all deserve it."
Once they returned to the rehearsal room they all spread out to relax. After Jeff got comfortable, Brittany walked over to him and sat down beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Tired babe?"
"Yes."
"Too tired to celebrate?" Sebastian asked.
"No." Brittany replied. "Nothing too crazy though Sebby."
"I don't think that'll be a problem Britt." Trent replied. "We're all tried." Brittany looked around at everyone else who nodded in agreement with Trent.
"Do we know how long we're going to have to wait?" Hailey asked.
"From the list I saw, I'm guessing at least an hour." Blaine replied. "And honestly, I'm glad no matter how nerve-wracking the wait can be, it's just good to know we're done." Blaine then looked over at Sebastian and smiled. "Before it gets too late, I just want to thank you all for doing this."
"No need to thank us, we all had a blast." David replied. "It was nice to get the boys back together along with some lovely additions."
"Still…"
"Blaine, stop." Flint said. "It was our pleasure and David was right, we all had a blast. We should be thanking you and Jeff for thinking of doing this." Blaine looked at Sebastian once more who put his arm around them.
"Let's just say we're all thankful for each other and our vast talent and work ethic." Sebastian said. "Because if that wasn't there, none of this would've been possible."
"And thanks to our new additions." Jeff said. "If there was ever a doubt, you guys are honorary Warblers now."
"That's quite an honor." Rachel told Brody and Hunter who were sitting next to her.
"Why thank you." Hunter replied. "I think it's safe to say Brody and I are both happy you chose to include us. It was an experience to say the least in the best way possible."
"That's definitely a good way to put it." Brody added.
They were all finally starting to truly relax when Dylan came walking into the room. "Do you guys want the good news or the bad news first?"
"The good news." Jeff replied as he wrapped his arms around Brittany.
"You need to come down to the stage as the awards presentation is about to begin."
"And the bad news?"
"The two groups you guys are going up against are some of the best in the Northeast."
"Wait, so…are you saying…"
"Yes, you guys made top three!" Dylan said with a huge smile on his face. With that said they all leapt to their feet and Blaine and Jeff headed straight to Dylan to hug him.
"This isn't some fluke, is it?" Blaine asked.
"No. The judges are actually music professors at four of the universities. You guys are up there fair and square, no special treatment. That also means you need to get your butts down to the stage." Blaine and Jeff both nodded before each grabbing ahold of their respective others hands and heading for the stage. When they reached the stage the other two groups were already there waiting.
"Before we go out there, we'd like you guys to know we were truly impressed by what you guys did." The captain of one of the groups told them which was soon echoed by the other captain. "Do you mind if we ask you guys something?"
"That depends on what the question is." Sebastian replied.
"Fair enough. We were all curious which school you guys go to."
"Combined, we're from eleven different schools." Blaine replied.
"You're kidding."
"He's not. Most of us know each other from high school." Sebastian replied.
"Then what you guys pulled off is truly incredible because your rehearsal time had to have been limited."
"Every other weekend for a few months." Blaine told them.
"You guys pulled that off only getting together every other weekend."
"We did for the most part. Some of us were able to get together a few times in-between but not often."
"Wow. Now, one more question?"
"Shoot."
"By chance were any of you ever Warblers?"
"Did the ties give us away? Or was it the name?" Sebastian replied.
"I knew it!" One of the guys exclaimed. "I swore I recognized some of you from Nationals last year."
"That would us. Anything else?" Before they had a chance to answer they were all escorted onto the stage. For the first time in a long time the guys were truly nervous as they'd heard of the two groups they were up against. Unlike earlier the judges were extremely longwinded and it was clear they weren't the only ones anxious to get the results. Since they'd all talked on their way to the theater, making it this far was considered a success for all of them. But none of them could deny they wanted more.
By the time they got around to the three groups on stage all of them kept looking at each other. When they heard third place being announced most of them were resigned to the fact that it was probably going to be them, so when one of the other groups were announced they were all shocked. "Did I just hear that right?" Sebastian whispered into Blaine's ear.
"I think so, because they're accepting their trophy and check now." After he spoke, Blaine could hear Sebastian audibly swallow behind him. He then glanced over at Rachel who looked almost more nervous than she had when they'd competed at Nationals together. Once the group stepped back, all of the judges took the stage which caused Blaine to glance towards the wing where Dylan and the guys were standing. His expression must've spoken volumes because Dylan shrugged his shoulders.
When the head of the music department at NYU began to speak they glanced over at the remaining group who looked as confused as they did which only helped alleviate the anxiety slightly. The longer he spoke Blaine began searching the audience for Cooper hoping to have someone to focus on since Sebastian was behind him. Once he found him, he released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and could now concentrate a bit more on what was being said.
"We need to tell you all that this decision wasn't easy for us to make at all and that you should all give the two remaining groups another well-deserved round of applause." Instantly the crowd began clapping once more and in that time Blaine looked back at Sebastian, who actually looked nervous. With a brief smile exchanged he relaxed some but it was clear they all just wanted the results. When the crowd died down he began to speak once again and the next thing out shocked them all when they didn't declare a winner.
"You need to make a decision." The other captain said as the crowd was clearly not pleased with what had occurred and was voicing their displeasure.
"Don't you think we tried, no matter how we looked at it neither group is better than the other."
"That's not right."
"We agree, but there is nothing else we can do unless you want us to ask the audience. But we really don't think you want us to do that."
"Do what?" Blaine asked as he and Jeff had walked up to the two of them.
"They're deadlocked." The captain told him. "They are completely unable to come to a decision as I've been told that neither group is better than the other. The only way to truly decide would be to ask the crowd and he's right, we don't want to do that as they love you guys."
"What do you want to do?" Blaine asked.
"While in all honesty, I should ask for a clear winner to be announced I can understand the difficulty in the decision. I saw both of your performances and you guys nailed them both. In fairness, I can't say we're better because personal opinion is always skewed. And I thought you guys were great. So, if you guys are alright with their decision, so are we. Plus, this competition is more about bragging rights for us than anything else."
"We're fine with it." Blaine told him. "The fact that we're here in this moment is incredible in itself."
"Don't you need to talk to the rest of your group?"
"We know each other and Blaine's right. They won't have a problem with the decision he's made." Jeff told him.
"This might sound wrong, but what about the prize money?" The captain asked.
"We can have new checks drawn and have the winnings distributed equally. You've got to understand this is a first for all of us. For starters, we've never had an open competitor so far superior to the rest. So the fact that the competition was so even shocked us all."
"That's fine, Blaine?"
"That's fine for us as well. Do you think we should say something to take the pressure off of them for their non-decision?"
"It would probably be wise. Would you like me to do it?"
"Be my guest." Blaine replied before looking over at Jeff. "Would you go explain what's going on?" Jeff nodded and walked off as Blaine and the Captain walked to center stage with the lead judge. As he spoke it was clear the crowd was still unhappy, but the longer he spoke the tension eased. The way he explained matters the crowd accepted the fact that they were both winners. And since the competition was more for fun than for anything else it made the decision easier to swallow. Once he finished, the captain looked at Blaine.
"Just so you know, I meant everything I said. Personally, I'd love to get the opportunity to compete against you guys again."
"I appreciate that as I'm sure my friends do. But any chance of competing against as would only happen if we decide to take part next year."
"After word of your performance gets out, I'm pretty sure people are going to be requesting you guys return. But so you know, if you do, no ties next time around." He said with a smile.
"Agreed." Blaine replied. "Guess we'll just have to have a sing-off."
"Sounds good." He said before the two shook hands and headed back to their groups.