So, I promised I'd be back by Christmas, and here I am - just! Not had a lot of time to write in the last few weeks, so I must inform you all that I can only promise a weekly update at the moment, probably on a Sunday. I hope you enjoy - and a happy holiday to you all.

Unicorns and Angels: 2016 and beyond

Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part I.

St Valentine's Day was one of those holidays celebrated around the world that you either adored or despised with an equal passion. For those not lucky enough to have someone special, it was often seen as a day from hell, with constant reminders of their status as a singleton. As Sebastian put it, to quote an expression that he had heard more than once during his brief sojourn in England - something that Ethan backed him up on - it was a Marmite holiday. It was also a day, of course, about which people could alter their opinion overnight. Sebastian had hated it before he had met his husband, but now he was as caught up in the whole slushy mess as every other couple that he knew.

Of course, for the group of kids from Ohio that now owned a highly successful diner in New York, Valentine's Day 2016 also marked a milestone. It was a year since they had officially taken charge. Someone had suggested that they make a list of all the successes and failures that they had had, but they had found themselves hard pressed to find many of the latter. They had been bold and experimented, and so far, under the guidance of their experienced manager, they had managed not to set a foot wrong. It had been a lucky day indeed when they had recruited Michelle Lau at Nick's suggestion. They had decided against a big celebration of the anniversary; there was not even to be a full partners' meeting, as they all had other things to occupy themselves that weekend. They would however repeat what they had done on their first night, albeit a day early this year. The Singleton's tables had been a roaring success, and they had been asked tentatively if it was happening again before Christmas had even passed. Once they had confirmed that it would be, they had been inundated for request for a place. It didn't hurt, of course, that the whole affair had been mentioned in the pages of Vogue

Isabelle Wright was one of the people in the city whose life had been changed through her connection to those young partners; a connection she had created when she had taken Kurt Hummel onto her staff as an intern. She had admired his fashion sense, his work ethic and his enthusiasm at every task that she set him. His untimely death in 2013 had upset her more than she cared to admit at the time, and although she had initially thought that she should stay out of the lives of his closest friends, a chance meeting with Santana, and an interview with Rachel as she was about to embark on her Broadway career had altered her perspective on that. As a consequence, she had been around for the most wonderful Thanksgiving ever… She still felt so blessed that Kurt was still around; he would arrive late at night as she was poring over an article, and he would offer his own unique perspective on the subject. His advice was nearly always sound. She had rewarded him last year when she had overseen the launch of a limited edition fashion collection based on his designs.

Then at Christmas, she had found herself invited, alongside her close friend Carmen Tibideaux, to the re-wedding, at the Rainbow Room, of Sebastian Smythe and Dave Karofsky. That was the day that he had come into her life; the self-assured, charming and handsome stranger that she would later discover was Julian Smythe. He had made her feel special from the off, and she had also fallen in love with his adorable son. She had never believed in love at first sight before that day, but in the whirlwind that had followed that first meeting, she had changed her opinion. She knew that Julian was the man that she had been waiting for her entire life…

She had pretended to be unaffected by the news that he was moving from Las Vegas to New Jersey, but secretly her inner schoolgirl had shrieked with delight at the thought that he would be only a few miles away, instead of on the other side of the country. She had been only too happy to offer him help in his search for a new home, and she had sent him details of all the nice communities he could move to, that were both close to his employer, and an easy journey to the city, so that he could visit his brother, and vice versa, with ease. The fact that it would also be an easy journey for her was just a happy coincidence…

They made time to Skype each other virtually every night, Isabelle now joined on screen by her two kittens, rescued from a dumpster on New Years Day. She had first shown them to Julian the day after; that had been the night that he had told her the truth about his mom, and the fact that he had taken her into his confidence just made her love him all the more. He had then suggested names for her two kittens, and initially she had laughed - then realised that they weren't actually that bad…

Elvis and Presley were her constant companions these days, loved by everyone at the office from the moment that they set eyes upon them. They were at her desk now as she checked her mail. It was Valentine's week, but she had resigned herself to spending the night in question alone, as her boyfriend - well, he was - was three time zones away, and busy with work. That was why she started when she found amongst her mail an envelope containing a printed invitation, from an admirer, inviting her to have dinner on Valentine's night, with them at Rao's. It left her in a strange feeling of flux. Part of her was curious to find out who this mystery admirer was, but most of her was anxious to avoid hurting Julian. In a situation such as this, there was only one person that she felt able to trust enough to bring into her confidence…

Kurt Hummel had once described Isabelle as his Fairy Godmother, when she had first helped make his life more tolerable in his first few months in the city. Now, in a bizarre twist of fate, he was her guardian angel, entrusted with looking out for her as she had for him, and with steering her along a safe path in life. He had been wary of Julian Smythe at first, remembering his early encounters with Sebastian, but he had passed muster in the end; he had let Sebastian know as much, much to the latter's obvious amusement. When Kurt heard Isabelle call for him quietly a couple of days prior to the invitation date, he answered her as promptly as his own busy schedule allowed. It was always a great pleasure for him to come and sit in the Vogue offices when the majority of the staff had gone home, and just chat with Isabelle over a cup of tea. Kurt had also been unable to resist the charms of Elvis and Presley, and found the fact that their names secretly annoyed Sebastian all the more amusing. That night when he arrived, he found his friend in a bit of a state, as she mulled over the invitation in front of her. She handed it to him, and after he had read it carefully, he handed it back to her.

"Rao's! Isn't that one of the hardest places in the city to get a table? Don't you have to know someone who knows someone even to get through the front door?"

"Yes, it is; even Anna has only been there once in the entire time that she has been the senior editor here. I have to admit that it is one of my longest held and most cherished ambitions to be taken there, but I wanted to go with someone that I knew, not with some stranger that signs themselves as 'An Admirer.' If it wasn't for Julian, I have to be frank, I would be very tempted to go, but it just seems so disloyal to him to even consider it!"

"I agree, particularly if you went and didn't tell him."

"But I am so curious to find out who this is from, and I might never, ever get invited to accompany someone to Rao's again… Why does life have to be so darn complicated?"

Kurt laughed, and replied, "Trust me, the afterlife can be pretty complicated too. I am guessing that you wanted my advice? Well, here it is, for what it is worth. Call Julian on Skype, and show him the invite. See what he says. He might hate it, but then again, he must just tell you to go and enjoy the whole experience at someone else's expense. It's not as if it isn't a public place, and you are nor promising them marriage or anything by turning up. I can also arrange for an angel guard to make an intervention if things do start to go wrong."

Isabelle nodded, and then got up to make the tea. Kurt was right, and better still, his method left the final decision up to Julian.


That same night, Artie Abrams made his way through the streets of downtown New York in the direction of the Spotlight, where he had made arrangements to meet up with a few of his fellow partners. All of them had been told one thing - do not tell Kitty. In his pocket was a small box; it had been burning a hole in there since the previous Sunday, when Mike had taken time from his own busy schedule to help his old friend go around the best jewellery stores in Manhattan. He had found the perfect ring in a tiny shop in Greenwich Village; he had done his initial research on the internet, and they offered the kind of one off piece that he was searching for. The moment that he had seen it amongst the others in the window display, he had been sure that it was the one that he wanted; it was discrete, not flashy; traditional, and yet in the latest fashion. Mike had to admit that it was a very shrewd choice, and he was confident that Kitty would adore it. Secretly though, he was not quite so sure that Kitty would say yes to Artie's proposal. It wasn't that she did not love him as much as he loved her - no, of that love there was a lot of evidence. It was the fact that she was such a strong, independent woman, and accepting his proposal would mean a level of commitment that she might not be ready for whilst she was still studying at school. Her business degree was aimed at preparing her for the cut and thrust of the commercial world, and whilst that would be no problem for Miss Kitty Wilde, it might be for Mrs Kitty Abrams…

Nonetheless, he had put those doubts to the back of his mind, and even now he was waiting at the diner alongside Nick, Marley and Brittany for Artie's arrival. Sam, Jeff, Santana and Tina would also have an important role to play on the actual day, but other commitments meant that they were unable to attend the final rehearsal. They had talked over Skype before now, and the others could communicate any last minute changes to them. The proposal would not be the elaborate four show choirs, rose petals and historic grandeur that Blaine had given Kurt on a day that seemed a lifetime ago, but it would be memorable nonetheless for all of the right reasons. Artie's plan was to serenade the young lady that he loved with all his heart first, with a small backing group, before he asked her. His song choice had been a bit of a surprise. He had eschewed the modern tracks for an older number which they all had to agree had a certain something to it - a touch of good, old-fashioned romance. Artie also pointed out that the lyrics did sum up exactly how he felt about the fact that she loved him, and had been prepared to give him a second chance after he had left her without a proper farewell when he had left Lima and McKinley behind. They all just hoped that she would see it the same way…


As his husband helped Artie out with the preparatory work for his proposal of marriage, Jeff was taking a moment to stand back and judge the latest work that he had done on his grand second year project. He had begun to work on it as August had drawn to its close; now, almost six months down the line, he was nearing the completion of his most ambitious drawing to date. 'The Judging Angel' would be his main piece of work for his sophomore year of study, and a lot of his final marks were riding upon it. He had been lucky in so many ways; the building that he had the majority of his practical classes in was overcrowded, and he would have struggled to find even a corner to work in there, let alone the space and privacy that he craved. He had come across the tiny room in which he was now standing one evening as he had been the last person to leave his art history class. By chance he had spotted the small door and his curiosity had got the better of him. Once he had found it, he had to get permission to use it, and that had taken time; it was only granted in the end because he was only using pencil to create his piece - true, he was using a whole palette of coloured ones this time, instead of just his usual black and white, but in essence, it was the same.

Wes had come and posed for him for his initial sketches, his wings outstretched behind him, Mr Bangy held firmly in his hand, and a stern expression on his face. He had one eyebrow raised as if in shock or just plain disbelief. Those first drawings had been made on his usual size of sketch pad; the work that he was now creating was life size, drawn on one sheet of paper stretched taut over a frame. It was a massive challenge to his talents; on such a scale, he had to be much more aware of the smallest of details, particularly in the area of muscle tone. Now as he scrutinised the finished face for the first time, he felt something akin to pleasure. The shading was right; the eyes did have the intensity that he had planned upon, and every minute nuance of the face that he had known so well in life was recreated on the paper.

"It's almost like looking in a mirror," said Wes as he came to stand at Jeff's side. He was the only person that Jeff had permitted to enter the room since he had begun to draw for real. Of course, Jeff did not know that Finn had snuck in one night, and Wes would not reveal that. "It is so detailed," Wes continued, as he noticed that each individual hair seemed to be present in the eyebrows of the portrait.

"It has to be if I am going to get the marks that I need," said Jeff, still questioning in his mind if it looked as good as it could. He still had some work to do on the lower body and on the hands, although the gavel shone already; then there was the whole question of what he was going to do for a background. He had to admit that he was more than happy with the wings, the product of several weeks hard work. Still, if Wes was pleased with the face, then that was a good indication that he was indeed on the right track. He smiled a little, and then found himself letting out a yawn, unable to stifle it in time.

"You need to call it a night, Jeff. No arguments. Mistakes are more likely to be made if you are tired after all. Plus, you need to go and eat!"

"I am hungry, but maybe I could just…"

"I said, no arguments! You are going home, and that is an order. It is well after nine."

"After nine!" said Jeff, startled. "It can't be! Nicky will be so upset with me if he gets home to an empty house." As Wes watched, he rapidly packed away his pencils, then covered the drawing reverentially with a dust sheet. With a quick goodbye to Wes, he raced off, locking the door behind him, and moving with speed through a building that now housed more cleaners than it did students.

It took him no time at all to reach the subway, and as was so often the case, a train arrived just as he got to the platform - he suspected angelic intervention as usual. He found a seat, and pulled out his art history text, so that he could catch up on a little reading as the train made its journey downtown. He knew the exact moment to stop reading and get up to make the interchange with the 'L' train back to Bushwick. In contrast to the train he had just been on, the second was as busy as ever, but he managed to find a comfortable spot away from the door to stand in and carry on reading. As he stood, book in one hand, the rail to support himself on the bumps in the other, he suddenly heard a snippet of conversation that gave him cause to pause for just a moment. He had heard, like everyone else in Bushwick, the rumours that the MTA were proposing to do major maintenance works on the line, and like every other passenger on the train, they had all agreed it was absolutely vital. What he had heard just now made his blood run cold. The prospect that the train could be running solely within Brooklyn for 18 months was one which horrified him. Sure, he and Nick could travel to school another way; they could get to work another way too. They had done it once before - and it had taken much, much longer. It had been ok as a one off, but the prospect of having to do it on a daily basis was more than he could tolerate. Jeff sighed as he realised that if the rumour was true, then he and Nick would have no other option for their own sanity but to move to a new home.

It had been something that he and Nick had considered doing before, although admittedly it had only been their intention to move a few blocks within Bushwick at that time - and that had been to the period apartment that Luke and Duncan now called home. It was the sort of place that he and Nick did aspire to, in the longer term, but if truth be told, they were happy enough in the loft for now. In any case, when they had taken a look at the price of similar property in the rest of the city, out of idle curiosity, they had been left shocked at how expensive the areas that they secretly desired to live in actually were, particularly for the home of their dreams, a property with period features and space for their needs now, and in the future. It had to be light, so that Jeff could draw with ease, and had ideally to have a quiet study space for Nick to work at. Even with the money that they had received from their Dalton compensation, and the money left to them by Blaine, the kind of place they would like would have stretched their finances to the limit, and that was assuming Mike was still around to help pay the bills. That was another factor that they had to account for in any move; they had both come to love having Mike around, and he had already admitted to them that he felt closer to them these days than he did to Sam or Artie, whom he had been at school with. Mike's budget was smaller than their own, and even though he was more or less certain now to walk into a job with the City Ballet when he graduated, that would not leave him rich in any sense of the word… All in all, moving was not a viable option right now, although there had been one possibility, if a place came up and they were lucky enough to spot it quickly. Pelham Parkway wasn't that expensive, although Jeff could imagine his parents reaction to the idea of him moving to the Bronx. It would be simple enough to get to school, and to the diner…

When Nick arrived home, it was to be greeted by the smell of chicken being grilled. He smiled to himself, knowing that Jeff was probably only just home himself, and the food had probably been thrown on the grill for speed. His husband did lose all track of time when he was concentrating on his work, and he suspected that the only reason he was even home now was because there had been an angelic intervention. He hung up his coat, and placed his book bag carefully on the hall stand, tidying up Jeff's own bags and coat as he did so - as usual, they had just been thrown down in his hurry to get something cooked. He walked into the kitchen, to find Jeff busy grating a potato as he prepared his latest culinary triumph, a rosti. The skillet was heating on the stove, ready for the potato to be added, and the chicken was grilling nicely. Two brioche buns had already been cut open, awaiting the other food.

Nick waited until Jeff had finished his grating, then walked over to kiss him on the cheek. "Anything that I can do to help?"

"No, not really… Maybe you could get some salad out, slice up a tomato, find the mustard…" Nick laughed, and gave his husband a salute before heading to the fridge. "So how did Artie's thing go? I take it that you will have a whole host of final instructions for me?"

"Yes, I do - but don't fret, none of it is complicated, and you and I can have it sorted out in a minute. I was nearly late in getting there, as one of the girls in my class was asking all kinds of stupid, dumb questions and we ended up seriously overrunning. Apart from that, my day was pretty good. How was yours?"

"Classes were ok, and I finally got the face finished on my project piece. Wes came to see how I was doing, and he approved, so that's a good sign. On the subway home though, I heard something that isn't so good - ad I think that we are going to have to have a serious think about the future…"

Over dinner, the two of them discussed the thorny subject of the 'L' Train. Nick had to agree with Jeff that there was no avoiding the fact - their lives would be much harder and their days much longer if they had to go to town daily by another route. After they had done the washing up, they sat down together, Nick's laptop on his lap, and Caleb on Jeff's, and did a quick search for apartments to rent with two bedrooms, good light, easy access to the subway, and most important of all, cat friendly. What they saw left them shocked. The reality was that to find what they wanted on a reasonable budget, they would have to travel in from New Jersey, or swap the subway for the Metro North railroad. Even in their own neighborhood, the rents had soared in the last two years, and they realised that they had a bargain. The Bronx was still an option, but they would get a lot less space for their money. Nick shut down his laptop with a sigh and turned to Jeff. "We need to consider things very carefully indeed here. We need firstly to sit down and have the conversation we have been avoiding with Mike; we need to know what he intends to do when he graduates. He might wish to move out - though given the rent for even a one bedroom place, it won't make much difference one way or the other…"

"Maybe we should just invest in a pair of really good bikes, and cycle to school whilst the train is off," said Jeff.

Nick nodded, and though he thought it was an option, his heart sank at the idea of having to fight the city traffic, and of Jeff cycling home on his own from a late shift. Then he thought about Wes on his bike in Harvard… Maybe they could get a motorbike instead, and Jeff could ride pillion behind him… With that thought he turned to suggest it to his husband, and chuckled when he saw him sitting there with his eyes half closed. He shook him awake, then held out his hand. With a protest from Caleb, Jeff got to his feet, and he and Nick headed for a shower, then bed. The problem of accommodation could wait for another day…