Not an April Fool

March had been a quiet month for the residents of the two neighbouring lofts in Bushwick, apart from the excitement surrounding the opening night of Funny Girl. After the chaos and stress of the trial in February, it was a relief to get back to the mundane and ordinary processes of life in Brooklyn. Sam and Santana had put in a lot of hours at the diner, to cover for the time that they had taken off during the trial. Jeff had come in for an interview and had impressed from the outset - he had managed to get himself a job, currently only as a standby, but once the new college term began in September, he would be on regular shifts. Nick was working hard at the law library too; Wes was at classes daily, and most of the rest of his time was taken up working on his thesis. He did however make time to go out at least one night a week, often when the others were free, or when Beats and Flint arrived from Princeton. Even Sebastian had managed to find himself a job - at the Strand bookstore. The idea of Sebastian working in that kind of environment had been hard for some to comprehend at first - Santana pictured him in quite a different kind of bookstore - but it had been his fluent French that had got him the job, in the foreign language literature section. If not there, or out with Dave, he could often be found in the kitchen, baking. The happy domesticated Sebastian was also a shock; Santana was once again overheard to comment about 'the invasion of the body snatchers' whilst munching her way through some cookies he had just made. As for Brittany, she had been offered a place at NYU, to read Math, but in a less pressured environment than the one at MIT.

It was another ordinary morning - April 1st 2014. Wes had woken up, remembered the date almost at once and was on his guard from that moment onwards. He could recall all manner of pranks that had been perpetrated by Niff on this date at Dalton over the years. He made his way to the kitchen carefully, his eyes wide open, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. He checked the tap before he went to fill the coffee machine, which he also inspected. As the coffee made itself, he took care to open every drawer and cupboard slowly.

Sebastian was the next to wake, and came charging into the room when he smelt the coffee. Wes immediately shouted the word "Date!" This brought him to a halt, and from that moment on, he made his way round the room with as much care as Wes. As the coffee was poured and they waited for the toaster to finish its job, Wes turned to Sebastian and said "I don't like it. I know that everything that happened with Hunter changed them, but…"

"It worries me too. It's either that, or we have missed something…"

At that precise moment, there was an almighty twang, and four slices of toast shot out and rocketed skyward - someone had adjusted the spring on the toaster, and it was now far stronger than normal. As Sebastian watched the toast fly over their heads, Wes looked down at his cup of coffee, and realised that it was turning into jelly in his cup. "Gelatine in the sugar - now that's new. At least it means that they are back to normal…"

"You do realise where that toast went," said Sebastian, a smile on his face. "Over the top of the divider, and into their bedroom."

"Thanks for the toast, guys," came a shout from Nick, above the sound of Jeff giggling. "Any chance of a slice of coffee?"

After he had readjusted the toaster, and made himself a liquid cup of coffee, Wes got himself ready for his classes. He was the first of them due to leave the loft that day. He opened the door just as the mailman was about to knock. He thrust a clipboard in the direction of Wes, and asked him to sign for four letters, registered mail. He did so, and took the letters, noticing the envelopes at once. Vellum paper, with a crest that he recognised straight away - Dalton Academy. Handwritten names on each - Wesley Montgomery, Sebastian G Smythe, Nicholas Duval, Jeff Sterling. It was the use of their full names that surprised him more than having to sign for them in the first place. "Guys, we have mail from Dalton - and it looks official," he called out, putting down his satchel and closing the door again. As the others made their way into the living area, Wes considered tearing open his letter and reading it, but decided to wait until the others had joined him. Only once each of them had a letter in their hands did he open the envelope and read the enclosed handwritten letter.

My dear Wesley,

I am writing to advise you of a new scheme set up in the aftermath of the events that took place in the session 2012/13 to the Warblers. Although you were fortunate not to be involved personally at the time, I have it on good authority that since the events came to light, you have done everything in your power to comfort and assist those of your friends that found themselves embroiled in the scandal. In recognition of this, and of all your past endeavours as one of the most illustrious Heads of Council in living memory, you have been included in the compensation scheme created to repay the debt that the school owes to its pupils. In your case this involves the provision of free education for your children at Dalton or Crawford County; and a cash payment of $100,000, authorised by the board. Similar payments have been made to the other members of your flock, as I know you like to call them, for standing with those who were abused by Mr Clarington.

I would also like to ask you to take on a personal task for me. I wish to appoint you as Head Warbler amongst the alumni. You are a legend even amongst today's boys, and I feel that you could easily bring all the former Warblers together in a support network, which I believe would be of great benefit to all. I have asked Mr Thompson to take on the role of your Deputy, and Mr Harwood to be Secretary - you worked well as a council before, so I trust this will meet with your approval.

I will be retiring, again, at the end of this term. It has been a pleasure to have known you, Wesley, and to watch you grow into the man you are today - in my 47 years at Dalton, I have yet to meet a more selfless man,

Yours sincerely,

Aaron Carmichael,

Principal.

Wes could feel tears starting to form in his eyes. He knew that every word in the letter was meant; was true, and if he tried to demure, then he would be shouted down. To be asked to be the Head Warbler for all time was such a great honour, and one that he would accept with pride. Principal Carmichael's judgement was also so wise in the selection of those that would assist him in his role. He suddenly became aware that he had heard nothing from the three other young men in the room with him - he realised that he had zoned out, and now as he tuned back in, he was acutely aware of the fact that someone was sobbing. He looked up from the page to see that all three of his friends were crying, arms wrapped around each other. He was up in a moment from the chair in which he had sat to read, and over to pull them all into a tight hug. Gradually, their tears stopped, and silently, Nick held out his letter for Wes to read.

My dear Nicholas,

I am writing to advise you of a new scheme set up in the aftermath of the events that took place in the session 2012/13 to the Warblers. I regret deeply that you found yourself caught up in these events, and that as a result of the actions of Hunter Clarington, you have been left with a permanent scar. From what I have been told, your bravery and fortitude in these circumstances, and the way in which you tried to protect your fellow Warblers, does you credit. Subsequently, you have also had to endure the heartbreak of the trial of Mr Clarington for his murders; I am sure that Mr Sterling has supported you, and vice versa, through this difficult time.

As part of the compensation scheme that I have set up, I would first like you to know that your children will be educated, either here at Dalton, or at Crawford County, free of charge. In addition, a financial scheme has been set up for the Warblers most linked to the events of 2012/13. Each of the Warblers of that session will be given an award of $100,000, regardless of any injury that they may have suffered. This will be supplemented by an additional payment based on degree of injury - this will be a further $200,000 in your case. This cash has been provided by the former governors who stood by and did nothing - they did not always contribute it willingly, but I can be powerfully persuasive when it comes to my students.

I know that cash is no real compensation for the damage that has been inflicted upon your person, but I trust that you will accept it in the spirit in which it has been offered. Once more, on behalf of myself and of the current governors, we deeply regret what has been done to you whilst you were in the care of Dalton Academy,

Yours sincerely,

Aaron Carmichael

Principal.

P.S. I hear from Burt Hummel that there will be a Niff wedding in New York in August. My wife and I will look forward to receiving our invitation, which we will of course accept.

The letters that Jeff and Sebastian had received were more or less identical to Nick's, all awarding them $300,000 in compensation. It was only as Sebastian went to put his letter back in the envelope, still emotional from reading the line 'I had my doubts about you after the slushie incident, but you proved yourself in extremis to be a young man that I am proud to have educated' that there was another piece of paper in the envelope - a cheque. "Well, here is the reason that these had to be signed for - there is a cheque in the envelope…"

It was while he and his three roommates sat in semi shock, staring at their respective cheques that there was a knock at the door, and Santana slid it open, Wes having left it unlocked. She took one look at them, and turned to Wes. "What has happened now? Those three looked stunned…."

"They just got letters from Dalton, rewarding them compensation for the whole Hunter debacle - cash compensation," replied Wes.

"Ah, so it's to do with the letters that we all got next door this morning, offering our future kids free education, because we were there to support you and help you out - it looks like the same thing has been offered to all the New Directions; Rachel was just talking to Mr Schue - guess were Finn, Kurt and Blaine can go for free? So, out of curiosity, did they get big bucks?"

"$300,000 each," said Jeff, in a barely audible voice, "which I suppose technically makes the three of us millionaires with Blaine's money…" He turned to look at Nick and Sebastian as it dawned on them too.

"So, the drinks are on you guys this weekend then?" said Santana with a smile. "I'm pleased for you guys - after everything you have been through, you deserve it. Just don't go saving it all; you two should get yourself a honeymoon to remember. Anyway, I've got work to go to - and aren't you going to be late for your lecture Wes?" Wes glanced at his watch, nodded, and ran out of the door. Santana laughed and followed him, closing the door behind her.

"She has a good idea there, you know," said Sebastian. "You two deserve a holiday - we all do. Much as I love living in New York, it would be nice to get away for a few weeks. So, yeah, that's my plan. Take some time away, with Dave, before I have to start at NYADA, and spend all my time either in class or at work."

"It does sound nice," said Jeff, looking straight at Nick. "It would have to be before the wedding though, because we didn't exactly leave ourselves a lot of time between the wedding and starting college."

"I'm sure that my father would say that we should save the money for our future - to pay for college courses and for a deposit on a nice house; to help us as we bring up our kids. He has a point - but then again, he would also say that I should ditch you Jeff and find myself a nice girl instead - so let's have a vacation!"

Jeff smiled back broadly, and then Sebastian said something that gave them all food for thought. "I might go back to London, then pop over to Paris - the two of you should come with me… heck, we could invite Trent along, and get the old gang back together. I mean we did talk about going to Europe together before the start of senior year…"

"We did, didn't we. Going to Europe, annoying the heck out of Ethan and Drew, just having fun," said Jeff.

"We would have Rory and Dave with us too - it wouldn't be fair of us to leave them here whilst their boyfriends gallivant around Europe with us," said Nick. "I say we do it. London and Paris a definite yes, but maybe see a few other places too; that was the original plan. I believe that we talked about Berlin, Amsterdam and Prague…"

"I think Scotland was mentioned too," chimed in Jeff.

"And if Rory is coming with us, we could get him to show us round Dublin," said Sebastian. "So, we're going to do this then? A whistlestop tour around Europe in the style of the college kids that we should already be?"

"As long as we can share a bed," said Nick and Jeff in unison.

Sebastian laughed out loud. "I think that you will find that, on the whole, Europe is a lot more tolerant than Ohio. And if you don't believe me, I can always take you to my old bar haunt in Paris…" he said, with a slight cocking of an eyebrow. Both Nick and Jeff looked aghast at the very thought…

They were still reeling from the very thought of visiting the haunts of Sebastian's misspent youth when Nick's phone rang with an incoming call from Trent. He had of course received his letter that morning too; his cash compensation was less due to the fact that he had escaped the worst excesses of Hunter by refusing the steroids, but thanks to all he had done in the aftermath to keep the group together, he had still been sent a cheque for $200,000, plus a long letter of personal thanks from Principal Carmichael. After sharing this initial news, Nick felt that the time was right to mention what the three of them had been discussing - and after he had told him, there was an initial silence.

"I do remember us having that discussion. We were all at Nick's house because his parents were out. We were due back at school the following week and we were all looking forward to senior year… I think we even considered asking Kurt and Blaine to join us on the trip. But then everything went wrong. If we do go on this trip, a year later than planned, then we will be able to make some good memories before Niff become an old married couple; before you three go to college like me and lose a lot of free time - which is why I have to make a specification. I have to take a six week summer class to make up for the time I missed at the trial - so we would have to go in June. As for Rory, well that will be up to Burt - after all, the congressional holiday is in August, and in June, it is in session almost every day. I think I can negotiate something with Burt though - so, in principal, and if Rory agrees, then, yeah, count us in!"

There followed a week of negotiations between Trent, Rory and Burt. In the interim, Sebastian, Nick and Jeff started to check things out on the internet, building up a basic itinerary. They checked out flights, sought good, low cost places to stay, and made a list of all the most important things to visit. Dave was invited, and with very little debate, happily agreed to come along. They all felt that should they encounter any issues, his strength would be a great asset. Wes pretended to be upset when they told him of their plans, and that as a result he would have the loft to himself for most of June. He was so convincing that they asked him to come with them - but he declined. He had a lot of work to complete on his thesis, and having four weeks of peace would allow him to get things done so much faster - he might even have some time in August to enjoy himself as a result. He also had a quiet word with Burt Hummel on their behalf, without telling them, in an attempt to push him to a decision which suited the needs of his boys and himself. He did not need to - Burt had already decided that Rory could take June off in return for staying at his post in August when most of DC shut down. He told Rory this, and ten minutes later, Wes was being deafened by the screams of delight from Jeff as Trent called to say it was all systems go.

The dates were set; workplaces were notified; flights were booked, via a contact of Sebastian's father to get the best deals. Hotels were also reserved via Rory. Jealous glances were traded with Sam, Santana, Brittany and Artie. Rachel pointed out that she would probably be going to London for a few months when Funny Girl got its West End transfer, which resulted in an eye roll from Santana. That remark did prompt Nick to go on-line and book them tickets for a West End show. This he did just before he and Jeff packed their bags for another trip - to Vermont. They had promised to visit Jeff's mother Elspeth at her sister's home, whilst she was still in hospital after the trial. They had been invited to spend Easter with her, his aunts and cousins. It was a good opportunity for Jeff to meet his new family - but he had a slight fear in his mind - what if they did not like him?