Two Steps Beyond
Part 160
After what could've been a crazy weekend, Blaine, Sebastian, and Hunter returned to the apartment on Sunday evening completely relaxed. While the wardrobe changes were insane as were the amount of shots taken, the weekend flew by before they knew it. After what Kurt had said to Cooper and the others, the boys decided they would do the right thing and be cordial. Even though there was some hesitation, nothing went beyond pleasantries. It was the type of shoot they'd hoped for and after everything that had occurred during their last one this one was the polar opposite in terms of feel beyond the camera. Whilst being relaxed, they were also exhausted since they'd started shooting on Friday evening after they were done with classes. This was probably the longest and most intense shoot they'd done, but they knew it had gone well judging from the look on Tasha and Simon's faces once they told them they were finished.
They easily slipped back into the conversation they'd been having in the car back which was about how happy Brittany was after her first week of rehearsals. Jeff was pretty certain he was seeing a whole other side to her as she seemed to have a new aura of confidence surrounding her. While she'd headed to her first rehearsal timid, when she'd come home that evening Jeff and Nick both saw that she was clearly in her element. And that Rachel and Brody had sent her congratulatory flowers which brightened her mood even more if it was possible.
Brittany hadn't been the only one having a good week; Santana had accompanied Cassie to not only an exhibition opening at the Museum of Modern Art, but to another premiere. After what she'd experienced in Los Angeles, this premiere in New York was a breeze since it was on a slightly smaller scale, yet it was still a whirlwind of an experience. To anyone around them, it was clear moving to New York was one of the best decisions either of the girls had made. It had allowed them to try and fulfill their dreams without having those who had certain images of them from stopping them from achieving those dreams.
The next week had each and every one of them calling the others for help with their weekend plans. While the previous year they'd all had time to plan what they felt was the perfect day, this year they all had been a bit preoccupied getting ready for their performance. When Blaine walked through the door on Friday evening he was surprised when he heard one of his favorite classical pieces playing. With a quick glance down at his watch he realized he was almost an hour later than usual. He only hoped that since he'd forgotten to call, that whatever Sebastian had planned hadn't been ruined.
Once he reached the end of the hall, he saw that there were candles lit throughout the living room, giving it a soft romantic hue. Sebastian was stretched out on the couch and there were two glasses and a bottle of wine on the table beside him. Considering the fact that Sebastian had yet to speak Blaine could only hope that he hadn't heard him come home and not that he was angry. After placing his bag on the ground, Blaine leaned over the couch and saw that Sebastian's eyes were closed. Quietly he made his way around the couch, till he was standing beside Sebastian. "Bas…you awake?"
"Of course I am. I was curious how long it was going to be till you spoke." While he answered, Sebastian opened his eyes while reaching his hand out to Blaine. Their eyes locked on each other and the next thing Blaine knew he was sitting down beside Sebastian. "You're late B."
"I know, I'm so sorry Bas. I was in the lab and…"
"Time got away from you." Sebastian replied with a reassuring smile. "It's okay; when I'd spoken to Jeff earlier he mentioned you were working on your piece. You often get into your own little world when writing music."
"That's true, but it's still no excuse for not letting you know." Blaine said as he shifted slightly, placing his free arm over Sebastian. "Next time I'll send you a text prior to starting so you don't have to ask Jeff."
"I didn't call him about that B; it was about something else entirely. I might have to keep that in mind for the future though. But I knew you'd been working on a piece so I figured that's what was going on. Plus, the phone works both ways; I could've called you as well."
"I know, but I'll try and do better. The room looks amazing, as do you."
"I was wondering when you'd notice." The slight smirk that crept to Sebastian's face along with the wiggle of his eyebrows brought a slight blush to Blaine's face. "I thought since we said we'd reign in the extravagance this Valentine's Day it didn't mean we still couldn't do the little things."
"That's very true. Now what do you have in mind?"
"There are clothes laid on the bed for you to change into and once you're done I'd like you to return to the living room." Blaine smiled and was about to get up when Sebastian gave his hand a squeeze before pulling him towards him. That little movement was all Blaine need, so he leaned forward and kissed Sebastian softly. There was something about the kiss that drew Blaine even closer. Before he realized it he was lying above Sebastian who had his arms wrapped around him. "If we keep this up you'll never get what I have in mind."
"I rather enjoy what we're doing."
"I promise you B, we can spend all day tomorrow just kissing. It would mean a lot to me if we could do what I have in mind."
"Then I shall go change. I love you Bas."
"Love you too killer." Sebastian then leaned up to give Blaine one last kiss before he got up off the couch to go and change. Once Blaine left the room, Sebastian sat up and poured their glasses of wine before getting comfortable once more. This time around though, he made sure to leave more than enough space for Blaine to join him. While it seemed to be taking Blaine a bit longer than usual to change, Sebastian wasn't surprised considering what he'd set out for him. He had a good feeling that Blaine was probably a bit confused seeing what he himself was wearing.
The smile that was on Blaine's face when he came walking back into the room instantly brought one to Sebastian's. With his arm extended, Blaine sat down beside him and curled up against his side. It took a few moments but once Blaine was settled, Sebastian reached over and picked up Blaine's glass and handed it to him. "This wasn't what I was expecting."
"I know, but I also know that you prefer super soft flannel pants. I hope I succeeded."
"You did. Though I gladly would've worn pants like yours." Sebastian then pressed a kiss to the top of Blaine's head in response.
"Even though, I knew that I wanted you to be comfortable."
"Are you comfortable?"
"I am."
"I'm glad because you look good."
"What can I say, black silk suits me. I want you to know our weekend calendar is completely free, it's just us. With everything that's been going on, I felt we needed this weekend to be us and us alone. You don't mind, do you?" Blaine turned enough in Sebastian's arm so that he could kiss him. "That must mean you approve."
"I do. Don't get me wrong, I loved all the time we spent with everyone getting ready. But all that time took away from time we could spend together alone. Our date nights were something I truly looked forward too."
"Me too B. You know our little habit has transcended to our friends, right?" Sebastian said before taking a sip of his wine.
"I do and most do what we do which is make it a quiet night since we all are constantly on the go. There is no denying that life here in New York is at a faster pace, but I wouldn't want it any other way. We do and see things I never would've given a second thought to back home."
"I know the feeling. The way we've all adapted makes me wonder how we survived."
"Somehow we managed, but I don't see any of us ever going back to that sort of life, at least in the foreseeable future. Now, what exactly do you have in mind for this evening?" Feeling completely relaxed, Blaine rested his head against Sebastian's shoulder and waited for an answer. Sebastian then explained that he thought they'd start their quiet weekend watching movies, but not just any movies, some classics. Thankful that Blaine was pleased with the idea; Sebastian leaned over and placed a kiss on top of his head. He then handed Blaine the remote so that he could choose what movie they were starting with.
With Blaine about to hit play, Sebastian placed a hand over Blaine's to stop him. "I should've asked this earlier, but have you eaten?"
"I have actually so we're good." No sooner had Blaine answered had Sebastian moved his hand allowing him to proceed. Before the movie truly had a chance to begin, they changed their position slightly so they were now lying down and Blaine's back was pressed against Sebastian's chest. The relaxed mood, allowed the two of them to fully relax and enjoy the moment. The last few months had been quite hectic and not that they'd minded, but they needed a weekend like this.
Once Monday morning rolled around, Blaine and Sebastian both felt completely reenergized after their low-key weekend in. With everything that had been going on, they finally had time to concentrate solely on each other. Unlike most mornings, this one they headed out the door at the same time, extending the weekend till the last possible moment. "Is it wrong to say I wish the weekend didn't end?" Sebastian asked softly as they headed down in the elevator.
"If it is, we're both wrong. It was a wonderful weekend Bas, thank you."
"I should be thanking you; I wasn't the only one with things planned. Plus think about it B, we both kept our words to reign in the extravagance."
"You didn't miss it?"
"I wouldn't say I didn't, but this weekend was special in its own way. Shows that we're both more than capable of appreciating and doing for the other without going over the top. And we've both said, we don't need Valentine's Day to show each other how we feel. We're pretty good about doing it on our own."
"That's very true." Blaine replied as the doors opened. "You might want to be careful though."
"Why?" Sebastian asked as they walked through the lobby.
"That smile on your face is going to get people talking."
"That's on them. I can't help it that I had an amazing weekend with my boyfriend. And so you know, you're sporting the same sort of smile."
"Am I now?"
"You are. I'll see you this evening killer. Love you!"
"See you tonight Bas. Love you too!" While Blaine waited in the subway station for Jeff, he hoped that his friends had even just the fraction of the type of weekend he and Sebastian had shared. Those hopes looked to be granted as Jeff came walking towards Blaine with a smile similar to the one that he and Sebastian each had. "I take it you had a good weekend." Blaine said as he got up from the bench so they could wait for their train.
"We had a wonderful weekend, thank you for asking. How'd you guess?"
"The smile on your face."
"If smiles are an indication, it's safe to assume yours was wonderful as well." Blaine nodded. "Good. After all the craziness it was good to have a quiet weekend though mine had a slight interruption."
"How so?"
"Nothing crazy, Britt had rehearsal for a few hours on Saturday but it worked out well. It allowed Nick and Santana to have the place to themselves for a bit. For your information, he's got the same goofy grin on his face as well."
"So they had a good first Valentine's Day."
"They did. While Nick didn't go crazy, he definitely surprised her."
"Good for them."
Meanwhile back in Ohio, Logan and Jacob were impatiently waiting for all of the Warblers and Junior Warblers to arrive in the common room. Each person that walked in, seemed to be grateful they weren't the last to arrive since it was obvious Logan and Jacob were getting more irritated each moment that passed. Once the last of them arrived, Mitch and Brandon closed the doors before taking their seats once more. "I'm sure you're all wondering what you're doing here so early on a Monday morning." Jacob said and a good portion of the guys all nodded. "Well, as you all know some of our alumni were taking part in a competition shortly after they returned to school. Logan and I are pleased to inform you all that they won." The guys in the room all cheered but we soon quieted by Logan.
"They won the open class which allowed them to compete against others. During that competition something unprecedented happened, there was a tie. A winner wasn't named as the top two competitors tied, one of them being our alumni." The cheers started once more. After they calmed down again, Logan and Jacob were still shaking their heads. "Yes, it's quite the accomplishment. So, thanks to Blaine and Thad's brothers, we have video of the performance for us to watch. Just a heads up though, you'll be seeing two different performances of the same songs."
"The guys tweaked their routine the second time around. So everyone get comfortable and we'll begin." Once that was said, the guys that were standing found a place to sit and Logan was about to press play when there was a knock on the doors. "One second." Logan put the remote in his pocket and went to open the doors.
"We didn't think you guys would be able to make it." Jacob said as Logan closed the doors behind Megan and Ally.
"Thankfully we have no classes this morning and Sarah was willing to give us a ride over." Ally told her. "Did you really think we'd miss this? I've been on Nick constantly about getting the video to us."
"Well, wait no more." Logan replied as the girls sat down on the table top between the two. The video had barely begun and Ally and Megan looked at each other. Even though they'd seen rehearsal, seeing them all dressed took things to another level. Then once the vocals began, everyone in the room was mesmerized. No sooner did the tempo pick up did the whole room get pulled into the routine. Comments were coming from every direction in the room. While most had seen rehearsal, seeing them in performance mode brought a sort of energy to the performance none of them expected.
Between the vocals and the dance moves they were all blown away. By the time the first performance had finished, Logan paused the video since it was clear they were all so caught up in what they'd seen that they weren't going to be able to fully appreciate the subtle differences on the second performance right away. "What did you girls think?" Jacob asked while the guys all spoke.
"I don't even know where to begin." Megan told him. "But I'll start simple, they look incredible."
"Not quite the Dalton look we're all used to, is it?" Logan said with a laugh.
"No kidding." Ally said. "Yet, it still looked like you guys if that makes sense. And don't even get me started on what the girls were wearing, hello?"
"I think that's the reaction of everyone in this room." Jacob said. "I don't know how the guys behaved with them wearing that."
"I do. All of their boyfriends are in the group." Megan said. "Knowing Jeff, Britt didn't go anywhere without him while she was wearing that and I'd say the rest of the guys felt the same way."
"Hell, you know Nick was like that. As for the performance, they proved why they were national champs." Ally said.
"As Blaine reminded us, three of the four girls were members of the previous national champs. So if I remember correctly, eleven of the eighteen won a national title. And that's not counting the fact Blaine won two."
"Jacob, we have a question." Mitch said with a smile since Megan was sitting next to Jacob.
"And what would that be?"
"Please tell us we don't have to learn how to tumble like that."
"No worries, you won't have to. But if any of you are inclined, please do. Hunters tumbling run along with the unison backflips were definitely a sight to behold. Now, are you guys ready for their tweaked second performance?" The question was met by a resounding response so Jacob reached for the remote.
"What tweaks?" Megan asked.
"They changed up the routine slightly, watch."
After they were done watching the second number the room was even louder than it had been for the first performance. "Question?"
"Yes, Brandon." Logan said.
"Did they do these performances on two separate days?"
"Shouldn't you of all people know the answer to that?" One of the guys asked.
"Sorry to break it to you, but I don't talk to my brother all the time. He's a rather busy guy." Brandon replied with a shake of his head.
"No, the second performance was done a few hours later."
"That's crazy." Mitch said.
"It might be, but from what you just saw, those of you that weren't around last year you can see why we're so hard on you. There were four different classes of Warblers in that performance and you can see from their hard work that they take pride in what they do. And that is something they learned in this very room. While they've all left Dalton and moved forth, they proved that, Once a Warbler, Always a Warbler, still rings true."
"Now that you've all seen the video, Blaine told us we're free to put it on the Warbler page which I plan to. Logan and I feel it would only be appropriate if you all comment on the video to let the guys know what you think. We're sure it would mean a lot to them." The whole room replied in the affirmative. "Alright, you're all free to go except for you ladies and Brandon." As the room emptied out the guys were all still talking about what they saw. The room was just about empty when Mitch stopped by the doors. "We won't keep her long so you'll have time to talk to her before we take her back to Crawford." Mitch nodded and closed the doors behind him leaving the five of them in the room.
"May I ask what you wanted to see us about?" Brandon asked.
"We know we probably don't have to say this, but you should all probably call your siblings and personally tell them what you thought."
"Oh, we plan on it." Ally replied. "Megan and I are not only going to let our brothers know but also Britt and Santana."
"That's probably a good idea." Logan replied. "Brandon?"
"I'll be doing the same."
"Alright, now get. We've got some work to do before we head off to class." After the three of them left, Logan brought his laptop over to the table so he and Jacob could get to work. "Did Blaine say if this was only to go on the Warbler webpage or does it also go on Facebook?"
"He said we can put it on both as long as we make certain to tag everyone so they know it's up." Jacob replied.
When Nick returned home from classes he was surprised to see Santana's bag sitting next to the couch and her phone and purse sitting on the table. He leaned back on the back of the couch to think for a moment, since she never stayed over on a Monday. After a few minutes, nothing came to him so he headed towards his bedroom and heard the showering running. Knowing she must be there for a reason, Nick resisted the urge to join her. Instead he took off his shoes and stretched out on the bed and waited. It wasn't long till the shower turned off and Santana came walking into the room with a towel wrapped around her. "I've got to tell you, this is a pleasant surprise." He said with a smile as she walked towards him. "What do I owe this honor?"
"I'm glad you don't mind but I really didn't want to get ready and then take the train in."
"You know you're always welcome here." He replied as he sat up slightly. "So what's going on?"
"I need to work this evening. There is a benefit that a bulk of the agencies clients are attending so it's all hands on deck."
"It must be something for Cassie to call you."
"It is, but she said if I had a ton of homework she would've understood since I don't normally come into the city on Mondays. Luckily I got a good amount of it done on the train. This wasn't an opportunity I was going to pass up. Plus, she said tonight shouldn't run too late so I should have time to finish up what I need to do when I get back. That is, if you don't mind me staying?"
"Can I think about that?"
"Nicky!"
"I'm just kidding, of course you can stay. How soon do you have to leave?" He asked while tugging on her towel.
"Soon enough that there isn't time for that. By chance did Ally get ahold of you?"
"She left me a message but I've yet to speak to her. Have you spoken to her?"
"I have." Santana replied as she began getting her clothes out. "She finally saw our performance and wanted to let me know what she thought."
"And what did my dear sister think?"
"She absolutely loved it! Everything from our outfits, to our vocals, to the dancing. She was so excited she couldn't pick her favorite part. And since the guys posted it she's watched it a few more times since the initial viewing with Megan and the Warblers."
"I will make certain to call her back this evening. I'm glad she enjoyed it. We definitely had fun that day, didn't we?"
"We sure did." Santana then leaned over to give Nick a kiss before starting to get dressed. As she dressed, Nick got his laptop out and decided to take a look at the video since he hadn't seen it since a couple days after the performance when they were still riding the adrenaline high. Soon the all too familiar melodies began to fill the room as Santana began getting ready. "You look distracted, what is it?" She asked as she sat down beside him.
"I'm just reading all the comments. Everyone seemed to have the same reaction Ally did. Surprisingly some of the guys are shocked by the harmonies we pulled off during Your Guardian Angel."
"I can understand why, you guys sounded amazing. It's one of the reasons Britt and I were so thrilled Cooper and Donovan recorded the show. While being a part of it was great, it was nice to actually see all of your faces while you were singing."
"Are you implying that the five of us had something or more specifically someone on our minds?" Santana nodded in almost a shy manner. "Well, you should know you were right. Honestly, Wes, Jeff, and I have no clue had Blaine and Seb held it together since they got to see each other while they sang. The rest of us only got fleeting glimpses of our significant others."
"Know, Hailey, Britt, and I were all feeling the same way." Santana then rested her head on Nick's shoulder. "I hate to do this, but I need to go."
"That's alright. Have fun tonight."
"I'll try. Love you."
"Love you too."