Two Steps Beyond
Part 159
Once the ruling was accepted a bunch of the groups came onto the stage to take part in an impromptu performance. Any of the frustration the crowd might've been feeling soon dissipated once the performance began. Each group took the lead and Blaine and the guys were caught off guard when Dylan nudged them to take the next verse. When they did the crowd was clearly pleased that they were given their time to shine as well. By the time they finished up, all the groups were had intermingled more than one might've expected.
After they all cleared the stage, congratulations were exchanged once more before they all started going their separate ways. They were all ready to enjoy the moment when they walked into their rehearsal space and realized they weren't alone. All of their friends and family were in there waiting for them. "Let us guess, we weren't to come out into the audience to find you guys." Jeff said since Blaine and Sebastian were currently being hugged by their siblings as were Thad and Hunter.
"That's a smart guess." Michael replied.
"Shouldn't you be with Dylan?" Blaine asked once Lexi finally let him go.
"I'm right here." They all turned to see the guys walking into the room as well. "We felt it only appropriate to come and see you after what just occurred."
"That was crazy." Sebastian told him. "We all agreed it was a cop-out."
"It was, but from a semi-neutral stand point, you guys gave them a run for their money." Bryan replied. "Plus, those professors had nothing to gain to not award a winner."
"They mentioned asking the crowd but the captain agreed that it wouldn't have been a wise decision to let the audience decide." Jeff said.
"That's because he knew they'd lose. You guys were the "underdogs" and everyone always wants to see you win. Plus, you were spectacular." Dylan added. "So, are you guys going to go out and celebrate your victory?"
"We haven't had a chance to really discuss it." Nick replied. "But knowing us, we will. And I think it's safe to say, you're all welcome to join us."
"Are you sure?" Nate asked.
"Certainly." Sebastian replied. "I…well, we, really appreciated you guys coming to support us."
"It was well worth it Seb." Jenna told him.
"Since you guys are all going to go out, we'll be leaving you." Cooper told them. "We don't want to cramp your style."
"You guys could never cramp our style." Santana replied.
"We appreciate that, but you guys go celebrate." Cooper then gave Blaine and Sebastian each another hug before Lexi did the same. "We're really proud of you guys!"
"Not to be pushy Coop, but when will we be able to see the video?" Jeff asked.
"The sooner I get home, the sooner Donovan and I can sort through all the footage."
"All the footage?" Thad asked.
"We both recorded both performances. This way we were certain to not miss anything." Donovan replied. While Donovan spoke, Lexi nudged Cooper.
"Blaine, Bas, may Lexi and I speak to you in private for a moment?" Blaine and Sebastian looked at each other before walking off towards an empty corner with Lexi and Cooper.
"What's that about?" Rachel asked.
"Kurt was here." Quinn replied and her words caught everyone's attention.
"What happened?" Nick asked.
"He was actually very polite. During the intermission after you guys won, he came over to speak to us. I don't know exactly who he came to talk to, but he ended up speaking with me, Lexi, and Cooper. He asked us to let you guys know that you were incredible and deserved to win."
"Why didn't he tell us himself?" Rachel asked.
"He said he was respecting Blaine and Sebastian's boundaries, but wanted them as well as the rest of you to know what he thought of your performance."
"What happened after that?" Thad asked.
"Nothing, he thanked us once Lexi said we'd tell you and he walked away with his friend."
"Sounds like that little visit from Mr. A and Cooper paid off."
"Regardless of what brought it on, hopefully this will be the start of a fresh new year for Blaine and Seb." Rachel said as Brody put his arm around her. "With everything this last year has brought the two of them, they deserve some peace of mind, especially in this regard."
"How did he seem?" Santana asked.
"Honestly, he seemed sincere. And admit it, it took guts to come and speak with Cooper after what happened. I'm with Rach; I think we've finally reached the turning point for everyone involved."
"It couldn't have come at a better time since we shoot next weekend." Hunter added.
"You'll have to let us know how it goes." Nick told him.
"Gladly."
Shortly after Cooper, Lexi, and their friends arrived at their home, Cooper walked their sitter to the door and while they were saying goodbye Simon walked up. Once the sitter was gone, Cooper stepped aside so Simon could get in. "Thanks again man! Follow me, everyone is upstairs."
"No problem." Simon replied. "It was fun and while you told me the boys were talented that was something special to watch."
"I'm glad you thought so. It wasn't just a big brother bragging."
"Not like you'd ever do such a thing." Tasha said as they reached the top of the stairs.
"In this case, it was definitely justified." Simon replied as he set his bags down. "You'll all be happy to know we got more shots than I ever could've expected since they performed twice."
"I don't know how to thank you." Lexi told Simon as he took a seat.
"I owe Coop a few favors, plus I couldn't really say no to shooting some of my favorite subjects. This time around it was just a different setting."
"Plus they were moving around." Tasha added.
"That's very true. Thankfully both of my assistants do quite a bit of sports photography and are great at catching action shots. Thanks to the second performance we were able to catch stuff we missed the first time around. I'm pretty certain you're all going to be happy."
"And the video?" Donovan asked.
"We're more than covered. Like with the photos, we were able to make certain we caught certain parts of the act the second time around. Now, do you guys have the footage you took as well?"
"We do." Cooper replied. "We knew if we didn't take any they'd know something is up. They have no idea what we did and we'd like to keep it as a surprise till it's finished."
"I will make sure no one says a word to them next weekend. Plus as you requested, we got lots of shots of everyone involved so no one will be forgotten."
"That's perfect since I know most of the parents they'll want pictures like my parents will." Cooper told him. "The professional video will be an extra added surprise. Do you know how long it'll take you to get through everything?"
"My assistants are already getting to work on the video and the pictures. Since I've got a relatively quiet week ahead before the upcoming shoot it shouldn't take too long, that is unless something comes up which you know is always a possibility."
"We completely understand." Lexi replied. "I can't believe your assistants are already getting to work."
"Don't take this the wrong way Tasha, but it'll be nice doing something other than fashion shots."
"No offense taken. Remember I want so of those shots as well since I helped put their wardrobe together."
"It's been noted."
"Speaking of wardrobe, was Susan able to make it?" Cassie asked.
"She was. I happened to see her in the lobby when I went to take a call. She had the same thoughts on their performance as the rest of us. She was also beyond pleased with how the girls looked. To see a vision come to life the way you hoped is fulfilling."
It wasn't long till the three guys vanished into Lexi's office with the cameras to put a video together for the guys. Once they were gone, the girls all stretched out on the couches. "Since they're gone, I might as well ask, how is Blaine doing now that the court case is over and done with?" Tasha asked.
"If we believed what he said, it never bothered him but we all knew better. But we also knew if we pushed him, he'd close up even more. Now that it's over, you can see he's more relaxed since it's not weighing on him."
"While Hunter had a hunch Blaine wouldn't talk about it, but do you know how he was after relieving everything that he could remember?" Cassie asked.
"I actually asked Bas about it after being told what happened in court by my Dad and Coop's parents. According to him, when they got home that night they both changed, made dinner, ate, then curled up on the couch for the night. They talked a little bit but Bas didn't push since it's not something Blaine likes to talk about and he didn't want to make matters worse. But by the time they went to bed, Blaine seemed a bit more like himself."
"Hopefully he never has to go through something like that again." Tasha said. "While he's not a kid anymore, he's way too young to have dealt with so much."
"Ain't that the truth." Cassie said. "Hopefully the only thing he has to worry about in the near future are those boring matters we all deal with."
"I'm pretty sure we all have that same wish for him." Lexi said.
"I'd say Seb is probably at the top of that list." Tasha said.
"He's probably damn close to it." Lexi replied. "I think he'd be jockeying for position with the rest of the immediate Anderson family. But I know he's happy to know that Blaine doesn't have this hanging over him anymore. He felt so helpless because there really wasn't anything he could do."
"He gave Blaine what he needed, that's all he really could do. In moments like this you need to know when to push and when not to." Cassie said. "And it seems to me, Seb knows what Blaine needs so he did do something whether he realizes it or not."
"I know and I think deep down Bas does too. And even though they only came back from break, I know they're both looking forward to spring break. They both really can't wait to get away from everything."
"Sounds like they've already made plans." Tasha said. "Care to share?"
"They are going to go back to the Caymans. Someplace where they can completely unwind and unplug from the world. Before I forget, so you both know, I might be a bit scatterbrained the next few weeks."
"Okay, why?"
"I'm going to be without Brittany."
"Alrighty, but why?" Slowly a smile crept to Lexi's face. "I know that look, so it's obviously not something bad."
"Brittany got a job."
"Wouldn't that be bad?" Cassie asked.
"Not that sort of job." Lexi told her. "She got a job dancing."
"Doing what?"
"She's going to be performing in an off-Broadway production of Hairspray."
"That's great news!
"It is, though I'm going to miss having her around. She's been such a big help. From what she told me she's going to have to be MIA when rehearsals begin, which is Monday, but once the show starts she'll be back at work since she'll have her days free again. She also told me she'll try and let me know ahead of time if there are days she's available in case I'd want her to come by."
"I need to ask, have you thought of hiring a temp?" Tasha asked.
"I have, but I'm going to try and go without. Cooper should be home a bit more since he's filming in Connecticut. I'm just not really comfortable with bringing someone I don't know into my home with my kids."
"That's reason enough. You'll just have to plan your days out a bit better."
"That's what I was figuring as well. At least they're a bit older now than before I first hired Britt. Running around with them back then would've been a nightmare."
"Here's a question, how is the new book coming?" Cassie asked.
"Really well actually, I was recently inspired so I got quite a bit written."
"Since that's the case, don't stress yourself out. Don't try to overdo it and before you know it, Britt will be back. As much as she loves dancing, I know she loves working for you as well."
"How would you know that?"
"I overheard a conversation between Jeff, Nick, Thad, and Hunter."
"Were you eavesdropping?" Tasha asked.
"No, I wasn't. They were having this conversation in the family room while watching a football game and it's not as though they didn't know I was home."
"This might seem odd, but how is it you only had those four at your home?" Lexi asked. "Well technically three since Hunter lives there." She added with a laugh.
"Oh, it was only the four of them when this conversation was taking place. The rest of the guys were there in due time. Our home was full that day, it was nice though. But I was happy when Donovan showed up."
"I know the feeling, they're wonderful to have around but sometimes it's nice to have someone else to talk to." Lexi added. "Though, I wouldn't exchange those days for anything. They're all pretty amazing. It's going to be weird not having them around on the weekends."
"I'm sure if you ask; they'll all gladly come and bother you." Tasha said.
"That's true. Speaking of weekends, you guys did mark on your calendar the kids' birthday party, right?"
"You did not just ask us that?" The look they both shot Lexi got more across than any words possibly could have.
"Okay, it was stupid question but my minds been a bit preoccupied."
"You're forgiven. But you've got to know we wouldn't miss it, we love these little cuties." Cassie told her. "Just tell me you didn't ask Blaine and Seb the same question."
"I haven't."
"Good because I'm pretty sure they'd consider it an insult."
When Blaine and Jeff showed up to school on Monday morning they were both still smiling from the events of the weekend. Once they left the theater on Saturday they all went out and celebrated to the fullest only stopping to go to bed before getting back to it the next day over brunch. While they knew they were going overboard, none of them cared because they all were so happy with what they'd accomplished. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Blaine and Jeff both turned to look behind them and saw Dylan and Bryan. "Nice to know you're both still in a good mood."
"Can you really blame us?" Jeff asked as the two of them joined them at their table.
"No." Bryan replied. "Heck, we're still happy and we only came in third."
"Considering you guys are basically starting from scratch that's huge." Blaine said. "We were really proud of you guys."
"Know we're really proud of you guys as well." Dylan told them. "You guys really didn't disappoint."
"We try not to." Jeff replied.
"Was Sebastian being serious when he said you guys could've pulled off an all-male number when Dylan told him he felt better that you guys weren't competing against us?" Bryan asked.
"He was. We used to do impromptu numbers all the time in high school. And the number of songs the Warblers have in their repertoire is a bit crazy. We pulled a number off for Beat's girlfriend prior to New Years that we hadn't done since March. For some reason songs we've done are ingrained in our brains." Blaine replied.
"Which one is Beat, though I'm assuming he's one of your beat boxers?"
"Tall, spikey hair." Jeff replied. "Stood in-between the other two."
"Okay. That's who I thought it was, but I felt it better to ask. Why did you guys sing a song for his girlfriend?"
"You don't have to answer that." Dylan said as he shook his head at Bryan.
"It's okay." Blaine told him. "It wasn't some sappy moment. We sang to her because she didn't quite understand why we all call him Beat and not by his first name."
"I can see how that can be a bit weird. All of his friends call him one thing, but she doesn't know that part of him so it doesn't make sense."
"Exactly, so we sang to her and she started to get it. Then after Saturday, she totally gets it and started to call him Beat that evening. She now gets why the rest of us can't call him anything else."
"It also doesn't help that you guys have probably been calling him that for years."
"That's what we told her." Jeff replied. "We tried, but it just felt wrong. I mean, I was introduced to him by his first name, but it wasn't long after that did he become Beat. The two guys that were standing on either side of him are actually the ones that gave him the nickname and it stuck."
"From what we heard, he earned it." Bryan said.
Meanwhile across town, Sebastian and Hunter were having a similar conversation with the guys. Most of them were still surprised by what they'd heard and seen even though they knew the guys were talented. Nate told them that even on Sunday when a bunch of them got together, their performance was still quite the topic of discussion. For most of the guys, as well as their girlfriends, it was the first time any of them had witnessed something of that nature.
"Jenna wanted to know something."
"What would that be?" Sebastian asked as he nursed his coffee.
"How long did it take you guys to put that together? She wanted to ask that night but never found the moment to do so."
"We picked the songs over a weekend. Then once that was done the music arranging began and Brittany and Brody began messing around with the choreography. From us picking the music to our first rehearsal it was only two weeks later."
"That's impossible." John said.
"It's not really considering it only took a week to pull the arrangements together with four people working on them. Once that was done, everyone was sent their parts to begin learning."
"That's impressive." Michael told him. "Let me guess, Blaine and Jeff helped arrange the music."
"They did." Sebastian replied. "Wes and I helped as well. With four people working together it goes quickly when you know what you want it to sound like."
"I need to tell you, that mash-up of Satisfaction was crazy!" Nate told them. "I never would've thought of doing something like that."
"It came about by chance, but I'm glad it did. It was a nice way to start things."
"It was." Hunter added. "I don't think anyone expected the girls."
"Hell, we knew they were performing with you but had no idea where they were." Michael told them. "I don't think you could've matched partners up much better than you did."
"I'll let Britt and Brody know." Sebastian told him. "Now you see why I had the bruises that I had."
"Yea, I can see how those came about." Nate said. "Honestly, you guys blew us all away. And Hunter, why aren't you part of the gymnastics team?"
"I had to choose and I prefer to do crew. Though, as you can tell I still get to the gym once and awhile to have some fun."
"It showed and you really impressed Jenna." Hunter smiled in response before checking his watch and getting up from the table. "I will have to talk to you all later, class is a calling."
"We're still on for tomorrow, right?" Sebastian asked.
"That we are. Later!" Once Hunter walked away, all eyes fell upon Sebastian once more. He looked around and took another sip of his coffee before speaking.
"What?"
"Should we ask or is it top secret?" John said with a laugh.
"For your information smartass, we're meeting up at the gym while Blaine is at his music lab tomorrow night."
"Good, can't have you slacking once spring practice begins." Nate replied. "So, any other performances coming up? And don't look at me like that, Jenna told me to ask. She's dying to hear you guys sing again."
"Our next big performance will be a rousing rendition of happy birthday to our niece and nephew."
"I think she'll pass on that performance."
"Are you sure, I'm sure we'll belt out some killer harmonies."
"It's you and Blaine."
"Au contraire mon frère. Nick and Jeff will be at the party as well. There is no way Brittany would miss their birthday party and well, the four of them are a packaged deal of sorts."
Once Sebastian returned home late that afternoon, Blaine was already working on his homework. Blaine glanced up long enough to give Sebastian a kiss before getting back to work. Having seen Blaine like this on more than one occasion before, Sebastian headed to the kitchen to get something to eat knowing they were both going to be doing their own thing that evening. By the time he'd returned Blaine had moved some of his books onto the floor so that Sebastian had room to work as well. While they had an office, both preferred studying in the living room.
"How was your day?" Blaine asked once Sebastian sat down beside him.
"Good, all the guys could talk about was our performance. And classes were same old, same old. How about your day?" While he spoke Sebastian opened up his laptop and got the books he needed out as well.
"Real close to yours actually, I need you to do me a favor tonight."
"Name it."
"Make sure I don't get so caught up that I lose track of time."
"It's one of those papers, huh?"
"Yep, so will you?"
"Of course. I hope you know I would."
"I know, but I still feel better asking. Also, Mike called and let me know when he'll be in the city."
"Please tell me it's when we're free."
"We are so I already put it on the calendar. You just need to put it in your phone. I also made sure everyone knows brunch is cancel on Valentine's Day. I love them all but don't want to share the day with them."
"Perfect, I was actually going to talk to you about that tonight. Also, I booked our spring break tickets as well so we're all taken care of there."
"Sounds like we both took care of things the other was going to ask about. Yet yours was slightly more important."
"Depends on your view B. One question."
"Shoot."
"While it's one of those papers, is it also one of those where we can't talk?"
"Nope, we can talk. I just don't want to get roped up in it."