Paris Part Two

The next morning was Saturday, and they were all woken early by François, who walked along the hallway, banging a metal ladle against a frying pan. He apologised for doing so, but then pointed out that they had two more days in Paris - he had plans that would occupy most of their day tomorrow, and he had several things that he wanted to show them. He made a good point, and they all got up, washed, and dressed swiftly. There was breakfast once again - fresh croissants but also as a treat he had made croque monsieur, a grilled ham and cheese concoction that they all instantly liked - it turned out that it had been Sebastian's breakfast choice after every visit to the club. Then they were off on the Metro, en route to their first destination - the Catacombes. It was at once fascinating and spooky - the walls were lined with bones of all kinds - there were skulls lined up neatly in rows amidst the chaos. When François stated that there were bones from up to 6 million people in the vast vaults, they all gasped. It was not somewhere that any of them would have chosen to visit if they had saw it in a guidebook - but they were all glad that they had seen it.

They returned to the station, but this time they boarded the RER, which with one change would take them to their next destination - the Musée d'Orsay. The outside of the building in its Beaux-Arts style was enough to make Jeff stop and pull out his sketch pad. They all understood why he needed to do it - the building was magnificent and as Sebastian explained, had almost gone the way of the old Penn station in New York - destroyed by the wrecking ball. It was now one of the city's major museums and art galleries. The anticipation of getting inside was enough to make Jeff draw quickly, and soon they were walking around the galleries, admiring the collection of paintings - Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir; those Impressionists were joined by art by the Romantics and the Realists. Nick knew that given the opportunity, Jeff would quite happily have spent the entire day wandering around - in fact, maybe an entire week would have been a better estimate. He knew that one day, he would have to bring him back here. His own interest in art was limited, but even he had to admit that as Jeff whispered the names of the artists in quiet reverence - Cézanne, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec - that this museum was something quite special. They ended up having lunch in the museum café, at a table where they could see the Seine through the old station clock. They ended up in the museum shop, where Jeff picked up several books, which he pointed out would be useful for him at college. There was also a facility to print copies of paintings on demand - Jeff chose three pictures and Nick requested one more that had fascinated him. These they had rolled up in a carrying tube - it looked as if there would be another parcel to send to the loft.

Carrying their bags, they made their way back to the station, and this time took another short hop to reach the nearest station to the Centre Pompidou - the gallery of modern art, which as François pointed out basically took over in the history of French art from the Musée d'Orsay in 1914. The building itself was a fascinating one, with all of the pipe work on the outside of the building. Again, they paused in the square outside whilst Jeff drew - this was no hardship on a day when the sun was once again shining from a clear blue sky. The art in this building was of a different kind to that in the previous gallery, but Jeff was still keen to see some of the more modern work. The others left him to wander with only Nick for company this time - there was a lot going on in the building which held their interests. Trent and Rory were happy to wander out into the square and look at the shops which surrounded it. They had spotted something that just might provide them with somewhere to get a wedding gift for Niff, and this was the perfect chance. Dave, Sebastian and François retired to one of the terraces, and sat in the sun. It gave Dave the chance to ask a number of questions about Sebastian's ill spent youth of François, and once the boy in question had given his old friend permission, he answered candidly, not sparing any detail. Dave had always suspected that much of the way that Sebastian had behaved in those days was down to the circumstances in which he was living at the time - thrust into a foreign city and left to fend for himself; bullied to some extent at school because he was not a local; it had all caused him to rebel. Now that he was loved, felt needed and was happy with the way his life was headed, he had gone back to the pleasant boy of his early teens, who just happened to be gay. Dave had liked the old Sebastian - he loved the new version more each day.

They had arranged to meet up again outside the building, and they all arrived well in advance of the appointed time. Once more they walked in the direction of the Metro, stopping off at one or two of the shops in the vast Forum des Halles as they descended in the direction of the station. Their destination this time was not far from the apartment - the area known as the Trocadéro. They had alighted here to visit a vast building of more modern times, which now housed a number of museums - the Palais de Chaillot. They split up once again - the maritime museum attracted the attention of Rory, and Trent followed; Dave expressed an interest in the museum of architecture, and Sebastian went with him. As for Jeff, he was riveted by the vista from the central walkway of the museum right across to the Eiffel Tower on the opposite bank. Nick merely took a seat on a bench which afforded the best view, and sat staring happily at his fiancé as his pencil once again flew over the page. He took some photographs of his own that he would post later on Facebook, not just of that most famous of monuments but also of the grand building around them. The sheer scale of the building almost took his breath away. He had been told by François that the building had another claim to fame - it was here in 1948 that the universal declaration of human rights had been adopted here by the fledgling United Nations. He had been unaware that this had been the first home of that body - he was so used to thinking of it as being based in the tall building on the East River, back in New York. As Jeff drew, he alone realised that they were all sitting in the cradle of the whole human rights movement on a global scale. He resolved to do more research into it at the law library when he got home. It might make a good subject for a college paper.

Eventually it was time to head home for an early dinner - François had something planned for the evening, and all he would say was that they needed to cross town and arrive at their destination before 8.30 to ensure that they did not have to rush when they arrived. They would also need to dress up - a shirt and tie were essential for the venue. This left them all curious, but they happily agreed to whatever he had planned for them. They ate dinner first, early by the usual standards of the city - it was a simple meal of cold quiche, with a salad and a selection of pâtisserie for afters - the delicate little macaron, the tiny fruit tarts, the éclairs - all were delicious and far surpassed the standard of anything that they were used to. Then it was off to their rooms to wash and prepare for an evening out, destination unknown. They made their way to the Metro once again, and were all happy when François announced that they would not need to change trains on this trip. They alighted at a station called Blanche - it seemed an unusual thing to call a station after a colour, but they had just boarded at one called after an author. They climbed the steps, and at once, with just a glance up the street, they saw their destination. It was the only possible place that they could be heading to.

The red sails on the windmill were indeed turning as they walked through the crowds towards the Moulin Rouge. They were fortunate in that they had reserved seats - almost as soon as he had known when they would be coming, François had decided to book it. He and the young 'Guillaume' had often talked about going one night, but they never seemed to have the chance, or the cash. By the time that they did, it was too late, and Sebastian had been arrested, and sent back to his father. This was their chance to go - and if this time he had been buying seven tickets, then so what? They took their places, near the stage, and awaited the start of the show. They were all happy to be there - Nick had posted the image of the windmill on Facebook as soon as they had arrived, and by the time he took his seat, he had responses from Wes, Santana and Puck, all expressing their jealousy. The reply from Santana had contained one line that had nearly broken Nick's heart - 'Kurt and Blaine loved the film - they wanted to sing Come What May at their wedding. Give them a call for me, and see if they want to join you.' Discretely, and out of earshot of François, Nick had done exactly that - the response was immediate, all three angels appearing in double quick time. "Want to join us?" said Nick - and he knew what the response would be without having to ask. So it was that behind the party of seven, their perched three angels, as keen for the show to begin as the rest of them. When it did, they were not disappointed - it was spectacular from start to finish. They saw the legendary can-can, the dancers in such perfect synchronisation that they were left in awe at their skill. Finn had enjoyed it for different reasons to the others. At the end of the show, they rose to their feet to applaud alongside the rest of the audience. They could now say that they had witnessed the show at one of the world's most legendary night spots, if nothing else.

As they left the apartment, Nick had made taken important precaution. It was one that he often took, just in case it was required in an emergency. As they stepped outside into the street, he guided Jeff across the road, where they could get a better view of the exterior of the building - and then removed from his jacket pocket two sheets of paper and a couple of pencils. He was rewarded with the usual smile from Jeff, and then a kiss on the cheek. As there was no convenient surface for him to lean on. Nick then bent over to present his back as a drawing board. It wasn't the first time he had been called upon to do this, nor did he expect it to be the last. On seeing them from across the street, the others laughed, and followed François to a café, to sit and wait on their two friends finishing. As a result they missed the sight that Jeff saw first, and then pointed out to Nick. There, high above the sidewalk, next to the famous Moulin itself, Kurt and Blaine were dancing on the roof. If they listened hard enough, they could almost hear the strains of Come What May as they sang it to each other. It brought a tear to their eyes - that puzzled François when they rejoined the others - it only took a few words for the others to understand what they had seen.

The journey back on the late evening Metro was swift - the train was busy to begin with, and they had to stand pressed up together - but as they reached their stop, the penultimate one on the line, the train emptied out. This didn't make them take a seat, at least not in the case of Dave and Sebastian, who still stood in the corner they had occupied when they boarded the train. The streets around Victor Hugo station were also quiet, and they walked back to the apartment happily. They considered briefly staying up to watch a film on television, but they had another early start scheduled for the next day, when once again François had made plans for them. In any case, the programmes that seemed to be showing at that time of night seemed a lot less family friendly than they would be in New York. So they all made their way to bed, none of them falling asleep straight away - instead they lay there for a while and talked about the day, Nick promising Jeff that they would come back, and he could spend hours in the galleries. Jeff could only kiss him in thanks - he didn't know quite what he had done to deserve Nick, and he often feared that one day, he would lose him. He would have to be sure to repay all the kindnesses that he was shown, he knew that much. The only question was how he should go about doing that.

The next day dawned bright and sunny once again, and on this occasion, they were all awake and ready before François emerged from his room. Trent had spotted the bakery that he had been going to every morning for their supply of croissants, and had taken the liberty of heading out with Jeff for company to make the morning purchase. They had added pain au chocolat once again to the order, alongside a couple of baguettes. Jeff had asked to go with Trent as he wanted to ask his best man to be a few questions about how he could show Nick how much he appreciated all that he did for him. His friend had asked to be given time to think about it, but had suddenly had a flash of inspiration as they left the boulangerie. He recalled a conversation that Nick had with Kurt back when the latter boy was a Warbler - Nick had complimented Kurt on an item of decoration in his room, and Kurt had spoken about the designer that had inspired the piece. Jeff nodded, remembering how Nick had gone on to search out books in the library at Dalton about him. "Do you remember where he was from?" said Trent. "And do you realise that we will only be a little over 40 miles from there next week - close enough for a day trip…" Jeff smiled, and agreed that it was a good idea. Trent offered to do some research for him, and they left it at that.

After breakfast, they left the apartment and followed François as he navigated the city to the nearest stop on the RER. They boarded one train, then had to change and travel back on themselves very briefly before heading out of the city to arrive at the terminal station at Versailles. From there, it was but a short walk to the place that they would spend most of the day - the Château. It wasn't long after 9 in the morning, but already the area was busy with visitors. They began with a visit to the Château itself. Jeff was easily persuaded not to draw it yet, as the line was already building at the doors. Once inside, they followed the audio guide tour, staying together, but breaking up into their couples, with François coming along at the rear to ensure that they all kept moving. The sheer scale and opulence of the building left them all in silent awe. The Hall of Mirrors had them Jeff staring in wonderment, Nick by his side nearly as entranced. The bedchambers were exquisite - they all knew the story of Marie Antoinette, but to be in her actual rooms made it seem all the more real. They could have spent far longer in the rooms than they did, but François was conscious that they had so much more to see and gently moved them on from time to time.

After the actual Château, it was time to stroll in the formal gardens. They had seen the two large pools immediately outside whilst they had been in the Hall of Mirrors, but there scale was only appreciable when they stood by them. They had been designed specifically to illuminate the façade of the building, and did their job well. The rest of the gardens, with the fountains, groves and sculptures dotted around them complimented the grand Château perfectly. They paused in the gardens to allow Jeff to pull out his sketch pad and draw the surroundings, whilst taking the opportunity to eat a quick picnic lunch. Nick more or less fed Jeff as he was too occupied with making drawings to actually have time to stop and pick up food himself. François remarked to Sebastian that he had never seen a couple quite so in love and in tune with each other as those two - and he was happy for them, and insanely jealous at the same time. When Sebastian told him about the picture that Jeff had drawn at the age of six, François had just stared in disbelief. He had often rubbished people that talked about soulmates, but now he had been confronted by two people that quite obviously were just that - actually, four people, because although it was less noticeable, Trent and Rory seemed to be just as close. Maybe he would give the whole concept some more attention himself from now on…

After the formal Gardens, they moved on across the vast park, to visit the final location on the site - the two Trianon Palaces. Once again, the architecture of the two buildings left them speechless. Jeff was once again drawing, and this time they left him and Nick in the gardens as the others explored the building, knowing that the other two would catch them up in due course. Jeff was increasingly making only the most basic of sketches, then filling the details in later using both his own memory and the photos that Nick took whilst he stood beside him. He also used the time he had to upload the photos onto his Facebook page. His update late last night that he and Jeff had witnessed Kurt and Blaine dancing on the roof of the Moulin Rouge, which was visible only to close friends - as yet, he had to exclude Beats, Flint and even his sister from that - had been liked by everyone, and Rachel had commented that no doubt they had been singing a certain song as they did. He confirmed this, and posted under his pictures of the Hall of Mirrors that he was sure that they had followed them to Versailles too. He had felt a distinct, familiar draught as he had stood next to the awe struck Jeff.

Jeff's drawings finished, they had time to make a quick tour of the buildings before it was time for them to make their way back to the station and head back once more to the apartment. François announced as they did so that they had one more stop to make after they went there - one more iconic building to go and see. They all agreed, and when they got back, they stopped only long enough to deposit the souvenirs they had brought from Versailles, and followed him once again into the Metro. This time, they stayed on the train until they reached Anvers. They had only left the station for a moment when they spotted the building on the top of the hill above them - the Sacré-Cœur, shining brightly in the afternoon sunshine. Jeff was possessed with a desire to draw it, but he held off when François pointed out that if they wanted to visit the dome, then they had to do so soon - and the view from that point was spectacular. So they made their way up to the basilica, eschewing the little funicular railway, and made their way inside. If Versailles had left them in awe, then the interior of this building left them stunned. "It's just so beautiful," said Rory, who had remembered the rituals of his Roman Catholic upbringing at the entrance, Trent waiting patiently beside him. The walls were decorated with numerous carvings, mosaics and friezes, many of which were of angels. Nick had again felt the distinctive draught, and he knew that their own angels were with them - in fact, he was more or less certain that he had heard a gasp of delight from Kurt. Then there was the Apse mosaic, which the guidebook informed them was one of the largest in the world. It filled the entire ceiling of the building, and was one of the most spectacular things that any of them had seen. None of them were that religious - Rory was probably the most inclined, but even he had attended Church these days only at Christmas and Easter. The building did make them wish that they were.

They could have spent hours just wandering around the building, but it was getting late in the day, and they had only a short time before the dome closed for the day. There was no queue to enter, and they made their way up to the top of the building. The view when they go there was stunning. They had seen the city lit up before them on their first night from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Now it stretched out before them in the sunshine, each boulevard and avenue visible. They could see so many of the city's other monuments - they could just about determine the location of the Girard's apartment in the 16th. This was a perfect opportunity for photographs, and they took full advantage, each couple getting a picture of themselves with the Eiffel Tower in the background, pointing out that this was definitely Paris. François then took a number of group shots for them, taking each camera and taking a slightly different image. By this time, the dome was closing, and they were the last visitors when the guide came up to remind them it was time to go. Sebastian went up to him and asked in his perfect French if he could possibly take a photo of them all - he agreed, and so they posed again, this time with François stood in the middle. As they descended the stairs, Nick posted his copy of the last photo on Facebook, aware that it was lunch time in New York - earlier still in L.A. if Thad or David were on line. His caption was simple - "So, this is François - remind you of anyone?"

He had anticipated a reaction, and he got one swiftly. Wes must have been at his laptop, as his reply arrived within 2 minutes - a simple "O.M.G! Explains everything!" The other replies came more slowly, but all were in the same vein. They all saw the similarities, and as Cooper put it "If I hadn't seen him die…" By the time that last one arrived, they were back at the foot of the hill. Nick stopped instinctively, knowing that Jeff would want to draw the elaborate building towering above them, then probably would turn round to sketch the narrow streets of Montmartre that lay below them. The others anticipated this too, and made arrangements to meet up with them later back at the apartment - François had plans to cook them a farewell dinner. So it was that Nick sat on the wall that enclosed the grassy hill that lead up to the basilica, whilst Jeff sat on the other side of the narrow street and drew him sitting small below the mass of the building. When he had finished, they returned in the direction of the Metro, stopping to pick up an ice cream each from a small café on the sloping street. Suddenly, Nick stopped and turned to Jeff. "I promise you now, Jeffie, that I will bring you back here someday - maybe for our fifth wedding anniversary, when we are both finished at college. We will spend a whole day just looking at the paintings in the Musée d'Orsay. I will buy you dinner at Le Jules Verne, on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower to celebrate that you are my husband. I will walk you down the Champs-Élysées, my hand in yours, because I will want everyone to know that you are my husband, and I adore you. That is, if you want to…"

"There is nothing in the world I would like more, Nicky. I love you, so much. I am the luckiest man in the world." With that, he took him into his arms and gave him a long kiss, as the world past them by, not even batting an eye at two young men, so deep in love. Time meant nothing to them at that moment - eventually, they walked on down the hill, hand in hand, entering the Metro and jumping on the train back to Victor Hugo, both getting hungry, in spite of their ice cream, and curious as to what François had prepared for dinner.

When they got back, the first thing they heard as they climbed the stairs to the apartment was music - and then the distinctive sound of Sebastian singing his heart out. The door was not locked, and they entered to a house filled with noise. They found their host first, standing in the kitchen, his brother Luke assisting him at the stove. "Ah, you are back, and at just the perfect moment. Dinner will be ready in just 5 minutes, so wash up quickly and then come to the table. Jean-Marc is also here - and he and Sebastian are engaged in a singing competition… mon dieu, which one of them is singing that?" The question was asked as someone began to sing in perfect French Non, je ne regrette rien.

Nick and Jeff looked at each other, and said in unison "Sebastian." They made their way to the drawing room to see that it was indeed their friend that was belting out the Piaf hit. François had followed them, and started to laugh. "Ask him to sing I am what I am next," said Jeff, and then pulled Nick away to their room. They washed up, and to their amusement, they could hear him singing the song in question as they did so. It might be their last night in Paris, but it sounded like it was going to be a lot of fun.

First, however, there was dinner, and that night they were treated to a feast of French cuisine. The starter was a classic bouillabaisse - Jean-Marc's family was originally from the south of France, and he had prepared the soup in the full traditional manner. It was by far the most delicious thing they had eaten so far in France - the recipe had been passed down through the family for generations, and they could all now see exactly why it had survived so long. The soup was filling, and so they paused before the main course - François insisted that this was traditional and that it had nothing to do with the fact that he and Luke had been a bit late in the preparation of the dish. It was no bad thing though, as it gave them all time to chat. Like François, both Luke and Jean-Marc wanted to hear all about the forthcoming nuptials of Nick and Jeff. Inevitably, the subject of Kurt and Blaine came up, and Trent started to tear up as they told how Kurt had died on the eve of their wedding. There was silence, apart from a sniff from Trent, before they went on to Blaine, his collapse and own eventual demise.

It seemed for a moment that a dampener had been put on the whole evening, until Luke announced that the bœuf bourguignon should now be ready, and they all anticipated the main. It was worth waiting for, the beef having been cooked so well that it fell apart as soon as their forks touched it. Nick was fulsome in his praise and earned a quick lesson in the secrets of the dish - mainly that it had to be left to cook slowly, on a low heat - and that was why they had to wait for it. He stored the idea away in his head for use when they got home - stews were something that he wanted to venture into, particularly for the cold winter months when he and Jeff would be out at college most of the day, and all they would want when they came home was something warm, nutritious and satisfying. For dessert, there came the most simple and yet satisfying of dishes - crème brûlée. They all sat in silence as they finished it - once it was done, the conversation began again, this time moving on to music. As was inevitable, this lead to singing, spurred on by the wine they had consumed. In between singing with Nick, Jeff brought out his sketch pad, and drew each of their French hosts. It was difficult to get them to stay still for long, but he managed to capture the sheer essence of each of them to his satisfaction. When he handed the completed drawings over to them, they all pulled him into a deep hug. Then they realised the time, and they had to reluctantly break up the party and head to bed.

When they woke in the morning, Nick and Jeff found that they were the first out of bed. They walked from room to room, to see if any of the others were awake. They found Rory snuggled up in Trent's arms; Sebastian draped over Dave, a wide smile on his face; and François nestled between his brother and Jean-Marc in a fraternal way. As everyone was asleep, they headed out to the boulangerie to buy the croissants for breakfast. It was still early, but there was already a sense of purpose to Paris on that Monday morning. The bakery was busy with people buying freshly baked breads for breakfast - Nick and Jeff couldn't resist picking up some macrons for later in the day, on the train to London. Then they walked back up the stairs for the final time, setting out the table, and putting on the coffee. They made scrambled eggs, and found bacon in the fridge, left over from last night's main - it was the smell of it frying that awoke the others, and brought them all into the kitchen. They ate in virtual silence, the sense that they would miss each other palpable. All knowing that they would all keep in touch.

They parted with Luke and Jean-Marc at the apartment. They would be tidying up a little bit before the parents returned - because it transpired that François hadn't actually told them he had invited them to stay… The young man in question talked animatedly on the train, avoiding the question of how he would have explained things if they had returned home earlier than expected. And then it was time to say farewell to Paris and to François. He had begun as Sebastian's old friend - now he was a friend to them all. There were hugs and tears at the entrance to the Eurostar departure lounge, with the passport desks only a few metres away. Then with a promise to keep in touch - and the promise of a bed if he ever found himself in New York, they went through the desk, and went to wait for the train to London.