5YL Let the Encore Commence

Part 1

If there was a time Blaine was ever so grateful for the amount of work Sebastian had before him, this was certainly one of those times. From the moment Xavier shared with them what Dave saw on Kurt's laptop, Sebastian's protective nature become more pronounced. While Blaine understood why, he reminded him that Kurt was in Ohio. Yet not to dismiss how Sebastian was feeling, Blaine promised to have Scott or one of the other members of his detail with him when he's out and about, which helped put his husband's mind at ease. Something which made Blaine happy as the last thing he wanted was to be a distraction when he knew Sebastian needed to concentrate on his studies.

Aside from a few rare occasions which were out of Blaine's control, he was at home working when Sebastian came home from class. Simple as it may seem to some, it was precisely what Sebastian needed before throwing himself back into his studies. An hour or so spent more often than not quietly with his husband, helped him recharge his batteries, allowing him to focus on what needed to be done. More often than not, Blaine would end up waking a couple hours after he fell asleep to find the bed empty beside him, only to get up and find Sebastian asleep at his desk. And once he got him settled in bed, he couldn't help but wonder how many times this happened while he was gone and wasn't there to take care of him. Which was all the more reason why being here now, mattered so much to him.

When the week of Kurt's hearing approached, Blaine noticed a shift in Sebastian's demeanor which wasn't too shocking. "What do you say to us going out to the Hamptons once you're done with class on Thursday?" Blaine asked as Sebastian worked at the island while he made breakfast. "A change of scenery would do us some good, plus the forecast for the weekend is beautiful."

"I have work to do B."

"You can study out there too Bas." Blaine told him before turning to get the toast out of the toaster to place alongside the omelet he'd made him. Once the plate was before him, Sebastian set his book aside and looked up at him.

"You're too good to me, thank you."

"You deserve this. Now, about the Hamptons?" Blaine said before turning his attention back to the stove to start his own.

"How about the real reason you want to go first?" Sebastian replied after swallowing a bite. "By the way, this is wonderful." Seeing Blaine glance over his shoulder at him and smile, Sebastian cocked his head to the side. "So?"

"You know why."

"I want to hear you say it." Sebastian told him before taking another bite.

"Fine. Not only do I believe a weekend away would do us good, but, I'd prefer not being in town when Kurt is here."

"See, it wasn't that difficult, was it."

"No, but that's not the main reason." Blaine said before sitting down beside him at the island with his breakfast. "You've been working so hard Bas, so as I said, thought it would be good for us."

"You're right, it would be as outside of going to class, I haven't left the house much since we returned from Paris." Sebastian responded as Blaine chewed. "Outside of you, Hunter's really the only person I've spoken with, which is a bit rude."

"Everyone understands why, but it's almost over."

"This part of it, as studying for the bar is going to be worse since it'll be monopolizing my time when I'm not working."

"And we'll get through it." Blaine then leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Does this mean we're going?"

"It does, but make me a promise."

"Anything."

"You need to make sure I actually take some time to relax, truly relax because…"

"You're reaching your breaking point." Sebastian nodded. "I know, another reason for us to getaway. I don't want you hitting a wall when it's so close to being over." Having Blaine know him so well, was a big part of why he'd survived since they'd returned as he'd known what he needed before he even realized it. Once Blaine resumed eating, Sebastian did as well as it would've been a shame to let such a wonderful breakfast go to waste. Shortly after they finished they each pushed their plates forward a bit before turning their attention to one another.

"It really is crazy how the last month has flown by B. I don't know how I would've gotten through this without you."

"You would've figured it out, just as you did while I was on tour."

"Probably." Sebastian said as he placed a hand on Blaine's thigh. "But having you here has made things easier, whether you believe it or not."

"I haven't done much."

"You've done more than you realize, honestly. And while I hate asking this, would you mind putting a bag together for me since time tends to get away from me once I'm home, I'd really appreciate it."

"I think I could be persuaded to do that for you."

"Persuaded huh?" Blaine nodded while keeping eye contact with his husband. "Not simply do it for me given how swamped I am." When he shook his head, Sebastian smiled before reaching for his coffee to take a sip. "What do you have in mind?"

"I'll leave that up to you, as I'm sure you can figure something out to make it worth my time."

"Worth your time."

"Yes, as I do have things to do this week." When Sebastian sighed softly, Blaine got up off his seat and turned Sebastian's so he was fully facing him. "Hey, I was only teasing. You know I'll happily do it."

"I know, but I don't ever want it to seem as though I'm overlooking what you do."

"You don't. Again, I'm sorry as it's probably a bit too early tooooooooo." Blaine's voice pitched as Sebastian wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close before pressing a kiss to his lips. "Bas." The smile on his husband's face seemed to be a rarity as of late. "I totally fell for it, didn't I?"

"You did." He said followed by another kiss. "Nice to know I haven't lost my touch."

"You certainly haven't." Blaine told him as he relaxed in Sebastian's embrace, wrapping his arms around his neck. "You do remember that next week is going to be a bit crazy, right?"

"I do, but it's the type of crazy I don't mind." Sebastian replied. "Plans for today?"

"Outside of the usual?" Sebastian nodded. "Rachel's going to stop by as it's been awhile since we've gotten to spend time together."

"Are you ready to be bombarded with wedding questions since they finally figured out what they want?"

"I am, especially since I know Kurt put a damper on things to begin with."

"A further reminder of how petty he truly is." He then tightened his hold around him. "Do you think she'll still be here when I get home?"

"I doubt it, unless you're skipping your stop at the library today, why?" A look of intrigue on his face as he responded. Yet the moment Sebastian's hands slipped a bit lower, he watched a smirk appear on his husband's face. "Really?" Sebastian nodded before leaning in for another kiss. They were just starting to lose themselves in one another when the alarm on Sebastian's phone went off, bringing the kiss to a halt.

"Who knew school could be such a cock-block?"

"We did." Blaine replied making Sebastian laugh. "We learnt it shortly after we got together. It's what we get for being responsible."

"Sometimes being responsible sucks."

"I know, but I promise to make it up to you when you get home, along with whatever you have in mind for me."

"I'll be looking forward to it." Sebastian said before giving him one more kiss prior to letting him go. "I love you."

"I love you too, now get out of here or you'll miss your train." Sebastian smiled as he knew Blaine was right. So he rose from his seat and slipped the book he'd been reading into his bag before heading on his way. Once Sebastian was out of the house, Blaine hit play on his I-Pod so he could listen to the song he'd been working on. Between being in the studio with his band and the appearances he'd made, surprisingly he'd managed to make quite a bit of progress on his follow-up album. Though he wasn't quite at the point where he was comfortable sharing what he was working on, outside of what Sebastian had heard while studying in his studio. Although that might sound strange to some, Sebastian rarely asked questions while he was working, simply took in what he was listening to while awaiting the finished product.

Blaine was so focused on what he was listening to while not only cleaning up but beginning some of the prep work for dinner that night, he was startled slightly upon hearing the bell ring. It took a few moments for him to get to the door since he needed to wash his hands, yet given the size of their home, none of their friends ever expected them promptly. Given the city was starting to bustle a bit more with the warmer weather, Rachel waited till she was inside before giving him a hug. "Since when do you have two big planters out front?" Rachel asked as they headed back down toward the kitchen so Blaine could finish up.

"Last weekend, as Bas was talking with his Mom and before we knew it two were delivered." Blaine told her in response. "Now it's simply a matter of getting flowers to put into them, along with the flower boxes and planters we have in back."

"Well if you want help, you simply need to ask as that's something I enjoy doing." Rachel replied.

"While I appreciate the offer, Bas is looking forward to doing it, as am I. But I'm open to any flower suggestions you might have since last year when we moved in they were already taken care of." He said while getting back to work. "How have you been otherwise?"

"Depends on the day." She told him causing him to look up from the cutting board. "Relax, everything is good between me and Thad, it's everything else that's getting to me."

"Let me guess, wedding planning?" Rachel nodded in response. "Relax, it gets to everyone as it's not as easy as one might think. Not to mention you want everything to be perfect, and that often means changing your vision along the way."

"How did you and Sebastian not go crazy?"

"Easy, our Moms. Once we gave them our vision, they put the rest together due to everything else that was going on. Yet looking back, even if I wasn't on tour, we still would've needed their help."

"I know that feeling as between meeting with vendors and dress appointments, there aren't enough hours in the day. And that makes Thad feel guilty because his schedule is so erratic, much of it falls on me."

"And right now Bas isn't the best of help picking up the slack on Thad's end."

"I don't expect him to with everything that's going on. You know that Emerson is standing up for Thad too, right?"

"I do, as Thad mentioned that to Bas because Emerson has ideas for her brother's bachelor party."

"You don't find it odd, do you?"

"Not at all, why?" Rachel then glanced down at her hands which were clasped together on the counter before looking back up to find Blaine was still looking at her. "Rach, what's going on?"

"I don't know why I'm scared to ask this but, will you be my Man of Honor?"

"Excuse me?"

"Forget I said anything." Rachel rambled in response, not bothering to take a good look at Blaine's expression. Yet she soon felt him standing beside her, which caused her to look up. "What?"

"Would this happen to be the question you had for me which Thad might've mentioned to Bas which was rather important?" When she bowed her head, he took her hands into his. "Rachel." She nodded. "Why were you so nervous?"

"Because it's not a typical question you ask."

"Since when have we ever been typical Rach?"

"Good point." She replied with a giggle. "I'm sure it probably answers a question you had."

"Such as?"

"Why Thad hadn't asked you to be one of his groomsmen?"

"While it might've crossed my mind, I wasn't stressing over it, particularly since you haven't mention the size of your wedding. For all I knew it was only going to be Bas and Zack, after all, Bas and I only had best men."

"True, I hadn't thought about that. Thad and I actually had a long conversation about it, and while picking my bridesmaids was easy, picking a Maid/Matron of Honor, wasn't. Yet the more we talked, I realized why."

"By chance, does Santana know?"

"She does, and wonders why it's taken me so long to ask you."

"Why has it?"

"After everything we went through when your marriage to Kurt was falling apart and the fall out afterwards, I…I wasn't sure if you…"

"Rach, you never chose sides in that mess which I know wasn't easy, particularly given how Kurt portrayed me to basically everyone."

"Yet I knew you weren't the person he was describing, same with Santana who actually called him out on it, something I wish I had done."

"It's over now Rach, no need to lament about it. I certainly try not to, though it's hard given how often we're back in court." Blaine told her. "Yet, all it takes is either a look at Bas or the ring on my finger if he's not there, to know I'm where I'm supposed to be and with whom I'm supposed to be with. How I got here, no longer matters. There's too much good going on in my life, to dwell on that time in my life."

"I get that, I do, I…" She watched him tilted his head. "I shouldn't dwell on it, something you've said numerous times." He then nodded. "It's not easy, especially knowing what you went through."

"Not to impose, but, are you still seeing that therapist?"

"I am, but even she said I shouldn't expect the feelings to disappear overnight considering the extent of the situation."

"It will, trust me."

"I do. I guess it's because of those feelings I wasn't sure if you'd want to be at my side when I marry Thad." Rachel said, a smile appearing on her face much as anytime she talked about Thad. "Though, if it wasn't for you following your heart, this wouldn't be happening." When he simply smiled at her, she tilted her head. "What is it?"

"I love seeing you so happy, and I'd be honored to be your Man of Honor on the big day."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Blaine told her before taking a seat across from her, yet keeping ahold of her hands. "But, I hope you thought about the possible ramifications of asking me to do so."

"You're talking about Kurt possibly throwing another tantrum, much as he did when Thad and I got engaged."

"Yes, though this time around I believe it would be worse given his disposition. I mean, think about it Rach, you two would be having me and Bas standing up for you in the "honor" positions. That won't go over well with him."

"Yet if it wasn't for you and Sebastian, Thad and I would never have been a possibility as we never would've crossed paths." Rachel reminded him. "And for the record, I have thought about the possible ramifications, as you so deftly put it. It's something Thad and I have talked about at length and I'm not going to let his insecurities change my mind about who I want by my side in that moment. Speaking of Kurt, did anything come of the information Dave passed along to Xavier?"

"Your Dads told you about that, huh?"

"Did you really think they wouldn't? I mean, Dave Karofsky showing up on their doorstep is a little unusual, let alone the topic he wanted to talk to them about." Blaine nodded, as he could only imagine the shock on LeRoy and Hiram's faces when they saw him.

"Any particular reason you're bring this up now and not when it happened?"

"Because Thad recommended I leave it be, yet with him coming to town this week, I…I needed to ask."

"Since he hadn't violated the restraining order, nothing happened." Blaine told her. "Though, Xavier did pass the information along to ADA Strauss. Bas is pretty certain she's going to bring it up on Friday in front of Judge Watkins."

"Are you and Sebastian going to be there?"

"No, we're actually heading out to the Hamptons for the weekend once Bas is done with class on Thursday."

"I fully support that decision, plus if you happened to be photographed, it'll piss him off." Blaine couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him, which caused Rachel to giggle. "It's true, as he'll be offend that he didn't warrant your attention."

"We don't need to be there, so why should we subject ourselves to it."

"Oh, I know, I'm merely saying what he'll probably think."

"After our last court appearance, I don't know about that."

"I wouldn't know since neither you nor Sebastian would talk about it."

"And don't expect us to." Blaine stated before giving her a kiss on the cheek, and then getting up to resume his dinner prep. "Now, have you ask Shelby for helping with planning the wedding?"

"I have, as she's actually coming with me to my fitting." Rachel told him. "You're changing the subject Blaine Anderson-Smythe."

"No, I'm getting us back on track." He retorted. "How do your Dads feel about that?"

"They're okay with it as they know she has a better idea regarding how it should fit. Speaking of, you did get the invitation to our delayed engagement party, right?"

"We did, and we replied. Any particular reason why there was a delay?"

"Between Thad's schedule, my schedule, our parents' schedules, there was a lot to take into consideration."

"You don't have to tell me that twice, it's something I relate to all too well." Blaine told her. "Now, what do you need me to do?"

"Nothing at this moment, but I will let you know when I need something. Also, Santana has ideas for my bachelorette party that she wants to run by you." When he cocked his head, she laughed. "She had a feeling you'd react that way."

"Because Santana is essentially a female version of Bas, and I mean that in the best way possible. But, it's a lot to handle."

"So you're an expert of sorts." Rachel teased, earning a laugh in response since she had a point. "On a different note, are you excited for next week?"

"Nervous, but not nearly as nervous as Coop since this film could make or break his career."

"If the early reviews are anything to go by, he's got nothing to worry about."

"I know, but much as you all said the same thing to me regarding my music, until it happens, it's hard to embrace."

"You and Sebastian are going to the premiere still, right?"

"Yes, and all next week I have appearances schedule to help promote it."

"And then two weeks later, Sebastian graduates." No sooner did she say it, she saw Blaine's demeanor change and a sense of pride come over him. "Someone's proud."

"Proud doesn't begin to describe how I feel about what he's accomplished." Blaine told her. "Think about it Rach, he's had to deal with a lot of outside distractions since he started Law School, yet…he never lost focus."

"It gave him something to focus on beside missing you when you were gone."

"I know, as he said that himself. Yet there were plenty of distractions before my career took off, most brought on by my ex's inability to grow up. More times than not, I wondered why he dealt with it."

"That's simple, he loves you Blaine. He loves you in the very same way you love him, completely and unconditionally." Rachel said to him. "You wouldn't have turned your back on him if the situation was reversed."

"Of course not, as it wouldn't have been his fault."

"You just proved my point. Now, any plans outside of the party for your hubby's graduation?"

"What do you think?"

"Good thing the movie didn't open any later."

"Tell me about it."