The boat tour of the coast line and grottos around Lagos the next day was a big hit with both the teens and the parents, and they took lots of pictures to show to their friends back home. After the boat had docked back at the Lagos Marina, they got into their cars and drove the short distance to the nearby Praia do Camilo. 

The small, secluded beach was accessible via a wooden staircase that ran along the cliff wall. With two hundred steps to climb, it was quite the challenge and they were not looking forward to having to walk up them on the way back. By the time the group had reached the bottom, they understood why so many people chose to come here, despite the long trek back to the top. 

They were surrounded by cliffs on three sides with the glittering ocean stretching out immediately before them. The air was filled with the sound of the surf rushing in, children playing and birds flying overhead. Despite knowing they were only a stone’s throw from the city, it felt like they had stepped through the wardrobe to an entirely different land. 

The beach was bustling with tourists, but not so crowded that there was no space left. With Finn craning his head, they soon found a good spot near the eastern cliff that guaranteed them to have direct sunlight for their entire visit. They laid out their towels far away enough from a nearby family and made sure there were no hidden rocks protruding underneath the sand. Once everything was set up, Hiram stopped Finn and Rachel from running straight to the water as they had been planning. 

“Just a minute, Rahela, let’s get someone to take a group photo first before you all look like wet dogs. You know how upset your Daddy gets if we don’t get pictures of everything.” 

“Oh please, Hiram. Like you are any better. Need I remind you who decided we needed to get life sized family portraits painted every year? No? I didn’t think so.”

Hiram grumbled a bit at being unable to refute his husband’s claim, and walked off to the nearby family. “Excuse me, ma’am? Do you speak English? Yes? Oh, excellent. Could I perhaps trouble you to take a group photo of me and my family? Well, I say family, but really, it’s my family plus my daughter’s freakishly tall boyfriend and his family, so really, we might as well claim them as our own. Anyway, could you help us out?” 

The lady looked amused at Hiram’s rambling but laughed and shook her head. 

“Not at all,” she turned to her kids and nodded at their belongings, “Watch our stuff for a minute” before she got up and followed Hiram back to where the rest were waiting patiently. The pictures were taken, and then retaken in different poses and groups and varying from serious to silly faces until LeRoy was completely satisfied and the lady was able, with profuse thanks, to return to her family.  

Once they got the all clear, the teens raced to the water and jumped in. For once, Kurt paid absolutely no mind to the state of his hair or what the salt water would do to his skin. He and Blaine had added some extra steps to their skin care routines, knowing that cooling off in the sea would be necessary with the temperatures as high as they were. 

Kurt swam some laps before he heard Finn challenge him and Blaine to a game of chicken. “You really think you can take us?” He called back, “There’s more to it than just size and strength, you know…”

“Oh yeah? That sounds like someone trying to save face. Prove it then!”

Kurt was determined not to be outdone by his oafish brother and his limp noodle armed girlfriend, so he hoisted Blaine onto his shoulders with a strength and agility that showed his time as a Cheerio had been well spent. “Bring it on, big guy!”

“Ooooh them’s the fighting words, I’m so scared now!” Finn mocked them as he ducked down into the water to let Rachel climb onto him. 

Blaine and Rachel counted them off, and as soon as they said ‘Go’ the fight was on.

To their credit, Finn and Rachel did give it their best shot, but their greater height actually worked against them as Blaine managed to hook an arm under Rachel’s and pull her into the water, proving that you did not need size or big muscles to win, when a good core balance and steady footing worked just as well. 

“Ha, yes! Suck it, Hudson!” Blaine crowed victoriously as he and Kurt did a little victory dance. 

Rachel emerged from the water, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes as she called out, “I demand a rematch! Best two out of three, unless you’re scared it was a fluke, of course…” 

Kurt and Blaine rose to the challenge and they all played around in the water until they started to feel peckish, at which point they made their way to the towels and attacked the spread that Carole and LeRoy had laid out like they were hungry wolves. 

At some point the children of the nearby family started up a friendly football match, which Blaine and Finn happily joined while Rachel and Kurt worked on their tan. The afternoon flew by as tends to happen when there is fun to be had, and before they knew it, the sun was setting over the water. They waited until it had sunk entirely behind the horizon, taking lots of gorgeous photos as they did, and then finally made their way back up the stairs and back to the villa for a late dinner, before falling into their beds, exhausted but happy.

Day four began bright and early, with everyone sitting around the breakfast table before they parted ways. The parents would use that day to pick up some supplies and fix some minor things around the house, while the teens would be going on a Quad bike tour of the countryside. 

They made good time despite the traffic and arrived at the Lagos Marina with plenty of time to spare. When their tour was called, they showed their driver's licences and reservation to the person in charge before making their way to their assigned Quad bikes. They suited up in their protective equipment and listened to the instructions before mounting their bikes and following behind their tour guide. 

The tour took them through the countryside and along the coastline between Lagos and the town of Alvor further to the east. They rode on hidden tracks and saw many sights along the way they would not have been able to see by boat or car. Barely discernible dirt roads cut through heavy brush and they had to cross deep muddy puddles more than once, making Kurt feel grateful he did not put on his good clothes that morning. Without warning, walls of green on either side of them gave way to stunning views over rocky cliffs and the ocean glittering invitingly just beyond them. Before they knew it, they had arrived at their final destination and dismounted their bikes. They returned all their equipment and boarded the Jeep that was to be their transport back to the beginning point. 

“Oh man, that was amazing!” Finn exclaimed, clapping Kurt’s shoulder. He had a big grin on his face and his eyes sparkled in excitement. “Thanks for suggesting it, dude.”

“Don’t call me dude, Finn. But yes, that was amazing. Do you think we could convince dad to get a Quad bike back home? We could take it out to that race track down at Pusheta.”

“Nah man, I don’t think so. It’d be awesome, but we had enough trouble convincing him to let us go today when he found out just what we had booked.”

“Ugh, yes. Thank goodness for Carole. I don’t know what we would have done if she hadn’t intervened. What about you two, did you have fun?” Kurt asked, turning to face Blaine and Rachel. 

Blaine chuckled as he looked up from his phone where he had just been texting Cooper, “I did, actually. I know I was a little hesitant, and though I will never be a motorhead like the two of you, it was different from what I expected and I am glad we went.”

Rachel agreed as well, and after a while they all fell silent as the adrenaline rush ebbed away. They took in the view from their windows as the Jeep carried them closer and closer to Lagos until they finally recognised the parking lot near the Marina. 

Lunch was had at a little bistro with outdoor seating that looked out over the water and it was a very happy group of teens that arrived back at the villa that afternoon, only to find a surprise waiting for them.  

“Dads, what’s going on?” Rachel asked as they walked down the steps into the living room. Burt and Carole were sitting on the sofa, cups of coffee in hand and watching while Hiram and LeRoy stood in front of a large item that had been hidden by the sheet draped over it. 

“Well, sweetie, we’ve been having such a blast here. The house is perfect and has everything we wanted from it, but your daddy and I have been missing one thing from home, so we decided to solve the issue. Finn, drumroll please…”

Finn tapped out a drumroll on the wall next to him as requested and with a flourish, Hiram and LeRoy threw off the sheet to reveal a brand new piano. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Rachel shouted excitedly, throwing her arms around her dads in gratitude. “Are we having a singalong tonight? I want a singalong! Guys, you’ll all sing with me, right?”

Everyone agreed happily and it was an excited group of teens that gathered around the piano after dinner that evening to look through the sheet music the elder Berrys had provided. 

Rachel and her dads kicked things off with a rousing rendition of You’re The Top, and she and Finn sang a few more duets after that, with Blaine accompanying them on the piano. They all joined in harmony when Kurt sang You Are The Sunshine Of My Life to a sheepish looking Burt, and there wasn’t a dry eye in sight after Blaine and Kurt had finished their own version of Come What May. 

Finally, after everyone had had at least one turn at performing, even Burt and Carole, and the wine had been flowing freely, Rachel got up and whispered something to Blaine where he still sat behind the piano. 

“I’d like to thank you all for indulging us in this favorite pastime of ours. We all know these last few years have been turbulent at times and through everything that happened, there was one person who was always there for me, even when I didn’t deserve it. I would not be the same person without you so, Kurt, will you come sing this last song with me?”

Flattered, Kurt stood up and gave Rachel a quizzical look, “What are we singing?” 

“You’ll see. Trust me, you know this one…”

I'm limited

Just look at me

I'm limited

And just look at you

You can do all I couldn't do

Glinda

So now it's up to you

For both of us

Now it's up to you