Two Steps Beyond
Part 174
When Jeff rolled over in bed on Saturday morning he was surprised to find it already empty. After rolling back the other way he spotted Brittany getting dressed and a smile crept to his face. "Please tell me you're wearing that for my enjoyment?" He said sleepily as he sat up in bed.
"You can enjoy but I'm not wearing it for you." Brittany told him after giving him a morning kiss. "All of us girls agreed to wear the outfits today if the boys made finals."
"You're wearing that and I'm not going to get to see you all day. That's really not fair hun." Jeff said as he took ahold of her hand and brought her towards him.
"I'll be sure I'm wearing it when I get home tonight." Brittany replied as she fell onto the bed. "But since it's a bit more than I usually wear, would you mind coming with me this morning?"
"Are you going to whip those boys into shape?"
"I am."
"Just give me time to get dressed." By the time the two of them walked into the living room, they saw Nick and Santana coming towards them. "Guess I'm not the only one accompanying my lovely lady."
"Would you consider not going know the horny devils those boys are and the way these girls look?" Nick said which earned him a playful swat on the arm from Santana. "It's true."
"It might be but you don't need to say it." Santana said as she grabbed her bag.
"Is it safe to presume Rachel and Hailey will be there this morning as well?" Jeff asked as they headed on their way.
"They are. It's on the only way they boys could have us all together since Britt is performing today. You should also know Blaine, Seb, and Hunter will also be there."
"Blaine and Seb make sense, but why does Hunter have to drag his ass out of bed so early?"
"Because he's going to dance with me." Brittany replied just as the elevator doors closed.
"Wait a minute, do we have to dance as well?" Nick asked.
"Only if you want to." Santana said. "The boys asked if they could see some of the moves we did during the group performance in person. And we said yes."
"Regardless if Jeff and I decided to dance or not, I'm glad we're going to be there because there is no way the guys aren't going to react."
"Nicky!"
"Santana, all of us reacted the first time we saw some of those moves. Clearly they're going to as well."
"Are you sure about doing some of those stunts Britt?" Jeff asked as he slid his arm around her waist. "You haven't done them for awhile."
"I know, but I trust Hunter. We won't do anything we're not comfortable with, promise."
When they walked into the ballroom the Warblers weren't there yet, but others were. So once the girls set their bags down they gave their guys a kiss before walking over towards the others. "You're nervous, I can tell." Nick said to Jeff.
"And you're not. But Britt's right, Hunter won't do anything he's not comfortable with and you know the same goes for Brody. They both care about our girls and they won't risk anything happening to them."
"Jeff's right." They both turned to their right and saw Blaine standing next to them. "Hunter and Brody are going to take good care of them. And while I know you're both a bit hesitant about the girls being dressed the way they are, they'll be fine."
"How did you know?" Nick asked.
"The protective hold you both had on them when you walked in. It was the same sort of hold Brody and Wes had on their better halves. And while you have good reason because well, the girls look incredible. It's just what the guys need."
"That could be taken in so many ways Blaine." Jeff said.
"I know and you can choose the one that makes you most comfortable. But the guys need a bit of distraction. I know you'll both agree nothing beats a beautiful woman to get your mind off of things."
"Very true." Nick said. "But that's often because the thinking goes elsewhere." The three of them started to laugh which brought the others eyes to them. "Sorry."
"What do you have to be sorry for?" Blaine asked.
"I just…."
"Nick, relax. Everything is fine. While it's not that way for every gay man, Bas and I both can appreciate a beautiful woman." While they spoke, Santana and Brittany began warming up with Brody and Hunter. Soon the three of them headed over towards Sebastian, Wes, Hailey, and Rachel.
"They look good, don't they?" Sebastian said as he pulled Blaine close.
"They do." Jeff said. "They are definitely in sync when they dance. I'm positive each of our sisters is jealous of Britt that she got to dance with Hunter."
"Awww, the girls have a crush on him." Wes said.
"That they do." Nick replied. "How was Brandon before you left last night?"
"He felt a lot better. I'm pretty sure he won't have the same sort of hiccup today. He said he felt bad because the same thing didn't happen to Logan."
"But he needs to remember Logan as well as a bunch of the guys competed at Nationals last year." Sebastian said.
"That's what I told him. And said that I'm pretty sure everyone was just as nervous last year. He then proceeded to tell me they watched the video from last year and all of you were flawless." Before they could go any further into their conversation the Warblers started entering the ballroom. Their little group all laughed as all of the Warblers had their eyes on the two couples who were dancing. "I think they're pleased with what they are seeing."
"And here I thought the grins on their faces were for completely different reasons." Sebastian said through a laugh. "Liking the view guys!" The way they all jumped Sebastian let out an almost evil laugh. To say most of them were staring was a safe bet.
"Hey guys!" Logan said as he walked towards them. "Have you been here long?"
"Not too long." Blaine replied. "And the rest of the guys will be here soon."
"Why?"
"Because we all felt you guys deserved some entertainment. How is your memory?"
"Good."
"Excellent." Sebastian replied. "Why don't you boys start to stretch as I'm sure Britt's going to be eager to get to work after their little demonstration?" Once Logan walked away, Nick and Jeff turned to look directly and Blaine and Sebastian.
"What did we miss?" Jeff asked.
"Nothing really, we're going to perform for the guys."
"Excuse me, when were we going to be told." Nick said.
"Did you really need to be told?" Blaine asked.
"It would've been nice."
"Fine, you don't want to perform, you don't need to." Sebastian said. "But it would feel weird singing without you both."
"Bas is right, it would."
"You know we'll sing, just why didn't you tell us sooner?" Jeff asked.
"Because we knew you'd both be here with the girls. So if you're upset that we didn't mention it, we're truly sorry." Blaine told them. "We didn't realize you might not want to."
"We're just surprised." Nick told him. "We're not upset. And it's a good idea. What songs did you have in mind?"
"We were thinking of doing our performance set and then ask the guys to join us for a number from last year." Sebastian said. "But we'd get if you're unsure. The dance moves are a bit crazy." Jeff and Nick looked at each other and then Rachel and Hailey.
"Are you girls' game?" Jeff asked.
"We are." Rachel replied.
"If the girls trust us, then let's do this." Nick said.
Once that was taken care of they all went to join the others who were already dancing. While they warmed up the rest of the guys came walking in. No sooner were bags dropped did they all go to join the others after saying hello to the Warblers. Once their stretching was done, they all got together to warm up. "What's going on?" Mitch asked.
"Our dear mentors are going to perform for us." Logan said.
"Do you know what they are performing?"
"Since the girls are with them, I have a feeling we're going to get to see their competition performance live." Jacob replied. It wasn't long after he answered that Blaine asked them all to take a seat. After they were all settled, they all got into position. Even though they hadn't practiced since the competition, everything flowed. It was everything Blaine and Sebastian could've asked for because it was going to help them prove their point to the guys once they finished.
While the guys had all been impressed by what they'd seen in the video and during rehearsals, seeing them this way was something else. Everything that Logan and Jacob had told them was resonating through them. "What did you all think?" Sebastian asked once they'd finished.
"You're all insanely talented." Brandon said.
"So are you."
"We could never do something like that." One of the guys said.
"With an attitude like that, you won't." Thad said as he stepped forward. "You need to believe you can accomplish anything. We know Logan and Jacob have drilled the music and routines into your heads."
"They have." Mitch said.
"You need to all believe in yourselves." Blaine said. "If we asked you right now to perform a song from earlier in the year would you be able to do it?" All of the guys nodded yes. "Do you know why you're able to do that?"
"Because we worked hard." One of the Warblers replied.
"Exactly." Nick said. "You'd be surprised, but those songs are going to stay with you forever. All that practice and repetition ingrains them in your memory. So when you're on that stage today, trust in that and sing from you're hearts. It's inside all of you. You'll only get in trouble if you over think things." As he spoke, Santana walked up behind Nick and wrapped her arms around him.
"How can you be so sure?" Another asked.
"We haven't performed that number since we competed. And earlier this year after Blaine lost a bet, we all performed a song for Seb that we hadn't done since our sophomore year at Dalton."
"Which number?" Brandon asked.
"That's not important." Blaine said quickly as to stop his friends from replying. Blaine's reaction alone let the seniors know precisely which song was being referenced. "So, to further prove our point, we'd like to ask members of last year's National Champs to join us up here." Once Blaine was done speaking, the others went to go sit down, leaving just the recent grads on the floor. As the others joined them Brittany and Santana made it a point to get seats front and center as they were eager to see what they were going to do.
Then before they all knew it, they all began to sing. And they didn't choose just any songs but they chose their set list from last year's Nationals. The fact that they chose this performance proved how much of a risk they were willing to take as they were certainly the most difficult numbers they'd ever done. Sebastian's take on Paint It Black was just as moving as it was the first time he sung it. If there was any difference, it was that he was clearly in a better place in his life. Then once Blaine began, Who Wants to Live Forever, it was clear some of the new guys had no idea how powerful Blaine's voice truly was.
Nicole and Brooke who were now sitting next to James and Flint couldn't help but move closer to them. "He's impressive, isn't he?" Flint said softly and Brooke nodded. "I've always loved listening to him sing."
"I can see why. He and Seb are clearly something special."
By the time they finished up with One Thing all of those watching were absolutely impressed. The fact that the current Warblers had no heads up yet performed it proved everything Nick had said. The songs are in you, you just have to believe and go from there. Once they were all done singing, the recent grads were all ready to relax, while Brittany was up on her feet to take the guys through the paces before she had to head off.
"Please tell us you two practiced those numbers last night." James said to Blaine and Sebastian who were each drinking some tea.
"We each ran through them twice." Blaine replied once he swallowed. "But that was it."
"I think it's safe to say you guys got your point across." Rachel said. "I never expected to hear you all sing two sets worth of music."
"It needed to be done." Sebastian said. "They could believe we've all rehearsed, but putting the guys on the spot proved our point. Nick, nicely put by the way."
"Thank you. It was pretty clear what you guys wanted to get across."
"Blaine, you should just be thankful they didn't ask for that special performance." Dave said with a laugh.
"That number has been put to rest for the most part unless it's for a private audience." Blaine then turned to kiss Sebastian on the cheek. While they all talked, they couldn't help but watch Brittany running through the choreography with the guys.
"You guys did it." Hailey said. "They look relaxed for the first time this week."
"If they didn't believe in themselves, they weren't going to do well." Beat said. "Regardless of all the work they put in. And while I know we could all talk about them the rest of the day, is everyone ready to leave tomorrow, that is everyone but you Jeff?" Beat smiled at Jeff who could only shake his head in response. As much as he wanted to go down with the rest of them, he couldn't in good faith make Brittany fly both ways on her own as he'd feel way too guilty.
Not surprisingly, everyone was packed and ready to go they found out as they waited for the Warblers to finish. Blaine was about to speak when his phone went off, so he excused himself from the others to take it since it was Cooper. "Since B is now gone will you yahoos tell me what all the secrecy is about." Sebastian stated to the others.
"What do you mean?" Santana asked as she placed her hands over Nick's which were around her.
"Nice try but you've all been acting weirder than usual and that's saying a lot." When he spoke, Sebastian slowly looked at everyone. "So, who's going to be the one to spill?" He looked at Thad and Hunter and quickly dismissed them since they were as stubborn as he was and quickly dismissed Nick and Santana since they were almost as bad. Knowing it wouldn't be right to pick on any of the girls he turned and looked at Jeff and Trent. "Guys?" There was something about the look in Sebastian's eyes that Jeff began getting uncomfortable. But before that discomfort could grow, Brittany called over to him. "Lucky bastard." Sebastian muttered before Jeff eagerly headed towards his girlfriend. "Trent, Trent, Trent. What's going on buddy?"
"I'm not telling you a damn thing!"
"Our sassy Warbler is back!" Thad exclaimed happily. "Face it Seb, no one is going to tell you what's going on. But I will tell you one thing."
"And what is that Harwood?"
"You'll be happy."
"Is that so?"
"I guarantee it."
"Thad's right, you're going to be happy." Hunter said and soon the other guys all chimed in as well.
"You all seem pretty certain about that. I'm not the easiest person to please."
"Tell us something we don't know." Nick said. "But you'll be happy, trust us." For as long as he'd known the guys there had only been a few occasions in which they were all so adamant about something. Then adding in the girls, he knew he could trust them.
By the time they all headed for the theater, there was an ease that they all didn't have the previous day. While the guys had been nervous, they had been as well. But after watching their rehearsals they could see they were ready. Plus the fact that they remembered all the choreography changes Brody and Brittany had made earlier in the week made them all feel better. "Honest question." Thad said. "Where does everyone think they'll place?"
"Top three." Jeff said. "They're good, but we have no idea what the rest have in store. But I think anyone doing a new performance today is going to do better than those rehashing yesterdays."
"I'm with Jeff." David said. "They've got a good chance; it all depends on everyone else. I looked at the list and there is some stiff competition, but if they give it their all anything is possible." The more they all spoke; they seemed to share the same opinion. "Wes, you need to breathe."
"I am smartass." That response caught everyone off-guard as Wes was always the composed one of the bunch.
"He'll be fine." Hailey said as she wrapped her arms around him. "Like the guys told them, it's in their hands. The most important thing is for them to believe in themselves." Even though he knew she was right it was still hard for Wes to relax. Knowing how the guys around him stressed the year before, he knew his brother was more so since all of this was still so new to him.
Once the show began, they all knew there was nothing left for them to do. Thanks to some sweet talking by Rachel they were able to get the performance schedule and the Warblers were smack dab in the middle. As each group took the stage it was pretty clear that they were all making mental notes in their head. Of the first five groups to perform, only two of them performed new sets. In the program before them Blaine kept track of the songs each group was performing.
They all exchanged looks with each other as the group that came in second to them the previous year took the stage. While they had impressed them all during prelims, they clearly brought their A game to finals and it was noticed by all of them. "B."
"I know." Nothing else needed to be said as they both knew what the other was thinking; they were clearly the best group of the day so far. That performance reminded the guys all how lucky they were to win the previous year as it honestly could've been a toss-up between the two of them. The next acts performed and while they were good, they were nothing spectacular. Once the Warblers took the stage everyone could feel the anticipation.
Even knowing the set list, they were all anxious to hear those opening notes. Much as they had for the prelims, Logan got things started. Yet this time around while the performance was more critical, the guys seemed more relaxed. It was clear they had taken the advice given to heart and pulled the crowd into the performance as almost everyone was on their feet. Santana gave Jeff a playful nudge as the guys executed the new choreography in a way that Brittany would clearly be proud. Unlike their other performances, Logan was a part of the second number, clearly adding to the vocal prowess of the group. His confidence as well as presence helped give the second number the extra life it needed.
Once they began their final number, Blaine's grip on Sebastian's hand tightened as they all knew this number could make or break the set since they were clearly taking some risks. They hadn't gone as far as they had the previous year, but they certainly were pushing their limits with all the new voices. Since they were still on their feet, all they could do was cheer louder once the number ended. Like they had the previous year, the guys gave it their all and had nothing left to give. One could only hope that was enough.
By the time the finals ended and the judges went into deliberations all of them began to talk. Jeff's guess early on was spot on as there was no doubt the guys would make the top three from what they heard and saw. Their biggest competition was going to come from the previous year's runner-up as all of them were clearly impressed by the performance they'd given. "Those boys can be proud of what they've done." Hunter said as they all spoke.
"Nice to hear that from a neutral source." Wes said. "While I feel that way as well, it's nice hearing someone without the same connection to them saying the same thing."
"It's true. I can only think of a couple of acts that put on a performance equal to theirs. You all set them up to succeed when you left."
"You can thank Blaine for that as it was all his doing." Thad said.
"Why doesn't that surprise me one bit?" Flint said.
"That would be because you know Blaine." David said. "Always the one willing to think outside the box."
When they finally made their way back inside the theater Wes kept checking his phone. Hope as he might, he'd yet to hear from Brandon. Thankfully though, Dave told him that the previous year they had banned phone use in the rehearsal space so he wouldn't be surprised if Logan and Jacob did as well to cut down on distractions. While Cooper and the others had told them how nerve-wracking it was sitting in the audience, the guys had a whole new appreciation for what they'd gone through. They so wanted the guys to win, yet at the same time they couldn't deny that there were a couple of groups who definitely gave them a run for their money.
As the curtain rose, a collective sigh could be heard from the group as the Warblers were standing on stage amongst the top five. Sebastian glanced to the side and saw Jeff take out his phone to send Brittany a text letting her know the Warblers had made the top five. From what they were all feeling, they could see their own emotions mirrored in those of the boys on stage. There was no denying they were nervous, but if you looked at Logan and Jacob, they looked relieved as well. Making it into the top five after graduating half the previous year's group was a huge accomplishment.
It seemed that with every competition the judges loved to hear themselves talk, not caring that their long windedness was excruciating for those waiting for the results. By the time fifth and fourth place were announced, the knots in everyone's stomachs grew. The fact that the boys made the top three was incredible. The problem with that is that the other two groups were also part of the top three the previous year. And if they were all being honest with each other and themselves, all of them were more than capable of taking home top honors that day.
Once the third place group was announced they all let out a breath they'd been holding. As it was the year before, it was between the Warblers and a group from California. "B, the guys look like they're going to be sick." Sebastian whispered into his ear and Blaine nodded.
"That's because the announcements have dragged on for over a half hour already. I'd be sick too. I don't remember it dragging so much last year."
"Me either." Wes said as he could hear their conversation. "And I was as invested last year as I am this year." Blaine took his free hand and gave Wes's a squeeze. Wes smiled and as Blaine looked across, Hailey had a firm grip on Wes's other hand.
And in second place, from Dalton Academy in Westerville, Ohio, the Warblers.
While they all quickly got to their feet to cheer, their hearts were all breaking as it was clear the guys still had some hope of repeating. As Logan and Jacob went to claim their trophy, the new National Champions were already celebrating. Without any hesitation, their whole group quickly cleared out of the theater as they couldn't help the feeling that the guys were going to need some support. Even though the guys were probably still proud of what they did, not winning had to hurt.