AN: Guess who can't stay on schedule? So I took longer on this than I wanted to.  This chapter starts literally right after the end of the last one. I hope you guys enjoy. There is a part in here that I included because I thought it was fitting. I am not a part of the  culture that this thing is from. So please forgive me if I get anything wrong. For anyone who IS from this background, I would appreciate it if you would point anything out that I did wrong or should have explained better on.

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Mitch's thoughts about Scott were cut short only moments later when his phone started ringing in his hands. It was Avi. "Hey Av."

"Hey Mitch Match. I wanted to know if you have free time right now." Mitch's brows furrowed. What was Avi up to?

"Uh nothing really. Scott and I are just at his place. We thought about getting out in a bit, though. Why?"

"Perfect," Avi's low voice rumbled. Why did Mitch get the distinct impression that Avi was smiling like a Cheshire cat. "I think I have something that you guys can do to occupy your time."

Yeah Mitch wasn't so sure about this.....

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"I am seriously questioning your sanity right now, Mitchy," Scott said as he adjusted the large camper's backpack on his back.

"Oh shush. You're the one who said yes," Mitch shot back as he looked at what was before them. This was going to be different, for sure.

Mitch saw Scot roll his eyes. "No. That would be you. I was simply roped into this."

And people said he was the melodramatic one of the two. "You act like I held a gun to your head and made you come."

"You did!" Mitch looked over at Scott like he was crazy. "With your eyes. You held me hostage and I couldn't say no."

A giggle came out. "So you're equating looking into my eyes to having a gun pointed at you?"

Without missing a beat, Scott replied, "Yes. They both kill me." Mitch's face bloomed red. He bit his lip as he giggled again. Why did Scott have to make it so hard? He could see a smirk on Scott's face. Proud smug sexy bastard.

As they walked away from where the G Wagon was parked, they saw Avi's famous long mane. He waved when he saw them. "Hey, you made it. I was worried Scott would have taken a wrong turn back there."

Scott rolled his eyes at the obvious dig. "Don't worry. Mitch was in control of the directions. Now can you tell us what we are doing all the way out here?" They had driven a little over an hour to meet up with Avi.

Mitch looked around them at the rocks and wood. Lots and lots of wood. "Yeah, Av. If you wanted to go hiking, why couldn't we just go to Runyon?"

Avi laughed. His deep chuckle seeming to ring out even more in the wilderness around them. "Runyon is nothing. And besides it is horribly overpopulated. Here....here we have space. We can take however long we want. Only the truly impassioned go to places like this. Besides, this is far away from everything. There is no LA. We have no service for miles. It is just us and the great land before us."

The duo blinked. "Avi, you're not trying to kill us and no one find out, right," Scott asked. Mitch fought to keep a straight face at Scott's very serious question.

Avi gave him that look. The one everyone gave Scott when he said something....Scott-like. "I don't think that would be possible. The others are bound to notice you two missing. Can't have one without the other. Now come on! This will be a great hike. Lots of trees and some beautiful views on the way up."

With that Avi walked to the base of the mountain trail they were going to be walking for the next couple hours. "Mitch, are you sure you want to do this? This isn't really your thing," Scott whispered to him.

Mitch rolled his eyes at Scott. "Well maybe this would be good for me. Besides you like hiking."

Scott glared down at him. "Yet I'm the one carrying all the stuff."

Mitch smirked. "Well that's because you can hold the most weight on your back. Come on, sexy," Mitch said and slapped Scott's butt before running up to fall in step with Avi.

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The three of them had been walking for a while now. Mitch had been sure to listen to Avi when they were on the phone and had a pair of durable (and cute) hiking boots. He was thankful for them as he was sure his feet would otherwise have blistered. "How long have we been walking up this thing," he whined.

"I lost track after the like eighteenth marker," Scott said as he walked behind Mitch. Avi was leading them up the mountain. Mitch groaned.

"Okay, we'll take a break. You brought the food, Scott," Avi said. The duo sighed happily and immediately plopped down right where they stood. Avi turned around to look at them. "Wasn't expecting this long of a walk, huh?"

He was glared at for his efforts. "Sheesh, tough crowd."

Mitch looked to see Scott grumbling as he took off the backpack. "I got it. Game of Thrones for you," he said and handed over a glass thermos with characters from the famous fantasy series. "Studio Ghibli for you," he continued on and handed one for Mitch. Mitch lit up at the sight of it. It was so cute! "And Jurassic Park for me," he finished pulling out his own.

Avi and Mitch smirked at Scott's choice. "Of course," Mitch replied.

Scott gave him a small smile back. "Of course. Now I made Avi and I sandwiches. I got you a veggie platter with hummus." He pulled out the bags with his and Avi's food and then the container with Mitch's.

"Wow. You came prepared, babe." Mitch was impressed. It was usually him that had things planned to the last second. Scott loved to wing it and always packed last minute. The growth was astounding.

Scott laughed. "I got hot chocolate and soup in two other thermoses, non brand."

"Well it's good to know we won't die of hunger or thirst," Avi said as he opened his thermos." Scott closed up the backpack as he bit into one of his sandwiches. It was peanut butter and jelly, one of Scott's favorites.

Mitch turned away from him to Avi. "So explain why you thought bringing me on a hike was a good idea?"

Avi motioned him over to the side of the trail, where you could look down at the forest below. "Let's sit and talk. What are you going to do, Scott?" They looked back at Scott. He had scarfed down his food already.

"I think I'm just going to take some photos. It's gorgeous up here. Make sure Mitch doesn't fall." Mitch and Avi rolled their eyes. Scott was too much.

"Got it, Boss," Avi replied sarcastically. Scott got up from his spot, leaving his backpack against the rocks.

Mitch shook his head as he focused back on Avi. "He'll never change. Now about that explanation."

Avi's deep voice rang as he laughed. "Okay, Mx. Impatient. Well I thought you needed to get out of your routine. You are always so cooped up. If you didn't have Scott around, you'd be a hermit." Mitch glared at him. "Don't look at me like that. You know it's true. Scott's your little....big Energizer bunny. Gets you up and going."

"Sure. So you thought climbing up into heaven was what I needed?"

Avi shook his head. "It's actually not that high. Nowhere near the highest mountain around. You can see the trees pretty well from here." Avi pointed out to the trees as far as Mitch could see. It was actually really serene. No people, honking cars,...no commotion at all. Just...nature.

"I'd still break a leg if I dropped from up here." Avi snorted.

"You, my dear, are a pessimist." Mitch smiled, looking at those bright eyes that seemed so cool and shielded to outsiders but full of such joy and life to those who Avi loved. "Speaking of, something seems to be bothering you, it's like there's this cloud hanging over you. What's wrong, little one?"

Mitch's heart tugged at the affectionate term. He was sure that Avi used to call him that all the time over the years. So many things...gone. "I've just been lost lately. Trying to figure some stuff out. And it feels like I will never get there....And Scott. I don't know where we stand right now. I don't know how to talk to him, either."

Avi sat and thought. He took a few sips from his thermos and munched on his food. "You have to let things be. The best things happen when you least expect it. Once you stop looking, it is when it will be found. Do you understand?"

Mitch stared out at the world beyond them. "Yeah. I understand. Go with the flow, right?" He glanced over at Avi to see him smiling behind that beard of his.

"That's it. Don't overthink. Just do. Just live. Everything will come to you in time. Your thing about Scott.....".

Mitch smirked as he looked at Avi. They had their legs hanging over the side. Mitch tapped the heel of his boots against the rocks. "Have I finally stumped you?"

Avi chuckled. "No, not really. I....Can I be completely honest with you?"

Mitch's smile fell. Avi sounded serious. He could tell by his eyes. There were steely and unwavering. He was determined. "...Y-yeah. Of course. You're like my brother. You can always talk to me."

Avi took in a few breaths before looking back at him. "I...I always considered Scott to be your basherter."

Mitch's head turned a little, completely confused. "My what?"

"Basherter. The root word is bashert. It's an old Jewish belief. Bashert basically mean's destiny. It is often used to describe someone who is pre-destined for another. That they were made for one another. A bashert is your one true love. There is no one else for you except this person. Basherter is the male form. It is a part of shidduch which is essentially matchmaking that is done in mostly Orthodox Jewish groups. So....yeah. Scott is your basherter."

Mitch's heart was racing and he felt just a little light headed. He knew that his current self had joked with Scott about them being soulmates but this....this was different. Avi was proud of his Jewishness. He didn't throw around his beliefs or culture. He was really private about it all. "Y-you really believe that," Mitch asked.

Avi smiled at him with love and pride. "Yes. Esther and I both think that. It was clear to us, as soon as we first met you two, so many years ago." Mitch started to tear up at the truth in his words.

"I love you," Mitch whispered, the tears slowly trickling down his face.

Avi put his hand over Mitch's and squeezed it. "I love you too," the bass whispered back. The two looked behind them when they heard Scott. They laughed seeing that he was being attacked by a bird.

"Get away, you winged demon," he screamed as he tried to slap the bird away.

"I think we need to help him," Avi said.

Mitch giggled. "I think you're right. Do you have any of your food left?" Avi raised his brow. "Trust me," Mitch said with a smirk.

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It was now mid afternoon. The weather was bound to change soon to the coolness of the fall night. "We made it," Mitch shouted, realizing they were now near the top and had a beautiful view of a waterfall not too far away.

Avi smiled. "Do you think it was worth it, Mitchy?"

Mitch looked at the beauty of the natural world around him. "Yeah....it really is."

"Stay right there, hon. This is the perfect shot," Scott said, holding up the polaroid camera he had brought with him.

Mitch stood still as Scott did his favorite thing to do besides singing, taking photos and videos of him. Scott had been doing that since they were kids. Mitch wondered where he put all those old photos and videos. "Are you done now, Scott?"

Scott put down the camera with three photos between his fingers. He flapped them in his hand to get the image to show. "Yup. I got some really good ones from earlier, too."

Mitch held out his hand. "Come on! I want you to see this, too." Scott took his hand, easily interlacing their fingers. Mitch felt so light as he brought Scott up against him, chest to chest. "Look at it."

He watched Scott take in the rushing waters below and the sweet smell of the trees around them. "It's like an oil painting," Scott said in awe.

Mitch saw Avi step to the side so they could have their moment. "I'll let you be alone. I'm grabbing some of that soup." He went over and slipped the backpack off Scott's back. "I'll take this off of you." He slipped away with the backpack, allowing Scott to stretch and his back to straighten out.

After getting used to being without that extra weight, Scott turned to him, his eyes with this beautiful twinkle in them. "This is definitely surreal. Did you ever think you'd be here?"

Mitch's face scrunched up. "Do you mean here or here here, like on this trail?"

Scott chuckled. "Both, I guess."

Mitch looked off to that brilliant waterfall. "I always imagined so much of what I wanted my life to be. This was more than I could imagine. Going out on a limb and getting out of my box is the most jarring, though. I feel like current me forgot about the wonder of everything."

He felt Scott look at him. "What do you mean?"

Mitch looked down, a somber mood enveloping him. "There is so much around me. Current me has become so accustomed to it all. There is no surprise or appreciation. It is....it just is. Do you get what I am saying?"

He set eyes on Scott. "There's a difference between idealism and realism. Current you grew up."

Mitch shook his head. "No, he gave up trying to explore. I never wanted Hollywood to change me. Everything that you say, what everyone says....I locked away that fire. Just let myself give in."

Scott ran his thumb over the back of Mitch's hand, their hands still together. "Do you really believe that?"

Mitch stared back at Scott with that same seriousness. "Yes. I feel like I live in a glass house. That there is nothing underneath to hold it together. It is just a shiny exterior hiding everything. It can all shatter any second. Would you protect me from those glass shards if it does?"

Scott's jaw was tense. "Always. I'll rebuild that house. Make it a treehouse. It will continue to grow, the roots spread for miles. It will be strong and beautiful. Just like its owner. Nothing will break down that house. I promise you that."

"Scott," Mitch breathed out, moving closer to those eyes, those lips.

"Mitchy," Scott said in that same breathless voice. They touched foreheads, eye to eye. It was like they were in their own cocoon away from everything around them. Mitch could feel Scott's warm breath licking at his lips. He could feel his lips tingling, wanting to touch Scott's. 

Their moment was cut short when they heard the sound of a camera going off. "Perfect," Avi said as the polaroid spit out from the bottom. Scott and Mitch glared at him. "What? I wanted to get a good shot of the waterfall, but you two were in the way. Then I realized that this was too beautiful a view to not capture. You two look so cute," Avi teased.

Scott untangled his fingers from Mitch's and took a step towards Avi. "How did you get my camera?"

Avi rolled his eyes. "You literally put it on the top of everything inside the backpack. I had to take it out. Just decided not to put it back." Avi gave a little evil smile.

"AVI," Scott roared and rushed to snatch the camera from the shorter man. Avi was too quick and dodged the giant blond. "Come back here Kaplan!"

Avi ducked behind a tree and double backed around and ran back down the trail. "No chance, Hoying! This is mine now!"

Scott's long legs allowed him to catch up to Avi pretty quickly. Avi swerved and zagged away. He went back towards Mitch's direction. "Boys! Watch where you are running," Mitch scolded them like he was their mother.

The two singers were now going around in a circle, Scott still growling at Avi and the bass full of joy and laughter. "Avriel!" Mitch groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He was dealing with a pair of children!