The Wedding of the Year.
Whilst Nick and Jeff had been exploring Italy, life for those back in New York had continued at a fever pitch, as everything built up to what was being described in some circles as the 'Wedding of the Year'. It was certainly going to be a stylish one, given that it involved a Vogue editor. Some had expressed a little bit of disappointment that she was not marrying a celebrity of some sort, but others pointed out that she was marrying for love and that was far more important thing in a world that was seemingly obsessed with celebrity. At least the celebrity obsessed people could content themselves with the fact that his brother was one of the rising stars of Broadway…
Naturally, all of the young ladies that had been invited to attend the wedding hinted at the legendary closet at the magazine, and in a moment of weakness, Isabelle had agreed to let them all in to see if they could find something suitable for such a glamorous event. That had lead promptly to accusations of sexism, and a threat from a number of the young men invited that they would head down to K-Mart for the shiniest, poorly cut, cheapest suits that they could find. In the end, the issue was resolved to everyone's satisfaction, and all would be making a suitably glamorous appearance, though as Sebastian himself said, they wouldn't really be interested in taking pictures of the nonentities when the bride and groom were going to look so fantastic. Of course, his smile was all the broader when he alone knew that they had actually been married for months already…
Before that, of course, there was another event for which they would all be gathering. New York was the last venue on Mercedes' tour before she headed to her big finale at the Hollywood Bowl. She had originally intended to invite them all to see her perform there - after all, the private jet that she had at her disposal could bring them all to L.A. for free - but Kurt had been most anxious that she did no such thing. He pointed out all of the many pitfalls of such an adventure, most of which were so minor that she had almost ignored all of his protestations. Almost. His face had seemed so strained as she kept ignoring him that it had left her just a little scared. It was almost as if he knew something that would occur and ruin her big night if they were all there. She dismissed such notions, but agreed to his points; after all, she would have David, Jake and Unique there in the crowd, and that was enough…
Though she was unaware of it, her change of heart suited most of her friends in any case. The idea of travelling right across the country and then back again for one night was daunting, although they would have done so if she had insisted. The tour had been a big success so far, with sell out crowds in every location. Along the way, some old friends had made an appearance. At her show in Dallas, Matt Rutherford had made an appearance at the dressing room door immediately after the show, in the company of his new and charming girlfriend. He made Mercedes promise not to mention her existence to Mike. He intended to introduce her to his oldest friend when they went to New York in a few weeks, at the latter's invitation, to be the first guests to stay with Mike and Tina in their new home together.
Her show was being held in Madison Square Gardens, and the one that the bulk of her friends would see her in was on Saturday; she had been supposed to have the night off on Friday, but such was the demand from her fans to see her that she had agreed to an extra show. She had been about to start that show just as a tired but very happy Niff arrived back in the West Village, to be greeted with his usual warmth by Mike, and with the usual degree of indifference by Caleb. He initially played the martyr, as was his habit, protesting at the fact that the two humans had deserted him without any warning for weeks. It had been no hardship for him really, given the propensity of his Uncle Mike to hand out treats all the time… Still, it didn't hurt to keep the other two humans in his house on their toes…
Mike had cooked one of his legendary Chinese feasts for them, knowing full well that all Nick would want to do after his lengthy flight was flop down onto his bed and sleep. Bags were left packed in the hall as the two arrivals fell upon the delicious array of food. Nick was quiet, having not managed to catch a moment of sleep on the plane, but Jeff more than made up for that with his animated conversation about the beauties of Rome and how Mike simply had to take Tina there one day. Nick eventually went to fetch his camera, so that Jeff could illustrate his chat, and Mike had to admit that it all looked so breathtakingly beautiful, especially Venice.
Eventually though, Jeff's chatter slowed and then stopped abruptly as he fell asleep mid-sentence. Mike couldn't help but giggle, particularly when he noticed that Nick was virtually asleep too. "I think that you two should go to bed," he said, and Nick, stirring for a moment, nodded. With help from Nick, Mike managed to get Jeff up to his bed; in five minutes the two travellers were sound asleep under a blanket on the top of their bed.
Back downstairs, Mike cleared the table, feeding scraps of leftover chicken and shrimp to a grateful Caleb. "It will all be back to normal around here tomorrow," he said with a grin to the little cat as he stroked him gently.
Caleb did not appear to acknowledge him, focused as he was on his food, but in reality, he was hoping that it would be. He liked the routine that his three humans brought with them. He very much hoped that what Mike said was true, but he had a sense that something was about to change very soon. He had heard Mike talking to the other two, and that girl of his; plus he had seen boxes upstairs. He knew there was going to be an upheaval of some sort very soon…
The following morning saw a refreshed Nick back in the kitchen, rustling up pancakes for breakfast, whilst also preparing a batch of fresh cookies to restore the usual Jeff levels to the cookie tins. He sincerely hoped that it hadn't just been Mike that had been eating them whilst they had been away, given the volume that was missing; he suspected that Artie and possibly Sam had been round to visit for a games night and they had been consumed then. He had to admit that he would actually miss them coming round when Mike moved to his own house in the next couple of weeks. He was also sure that he would have to send an occasional batch of cookies over to that house too; Tina was not much of a baker, and although Mike could prepare a batch of cookies himself at a push, he did not have the natural flair that Nick did…
Still, he wasn't sure if he would have the time to do so much baking as he did now once he was working full-time. His mind wandered briefly to the prospect of being an actual, fully fledged lawyer, sitting in his own office, helping out the little people when the big firms attacked… Except that that wouldn't be the case, at least not at first. No, he would be a menial assistant with his own cubicle, sharing the services of one secretary and one paralegal with half a dozen others, and generally doing the mundane little jobs for the big shots above him. Still, that was how it worked; you started small and built things up from there. At least he was not being expected to fight the big cases alone yet, or defend someone that was obviously guilty of a crime. That would be an absolute nightmare for him, what with his great belief in justice for the little people and his commitment to the truth at all times in all things. In his mind, if someone was guilty of the crime they had been accused of, then they had to pay the price, no question of it… The smell of a pancake burning brought him back to reality. He dealt with the burnt one, and started afresh. He was sure it would all be fine when he did have to do it, but for now, it was a worry…
He did not have time to dwell on the issue in any case; he and Jeff had something much more important on their mind. They had made an arrangement to go and see the woman that they were going to ask to be their surrogate at lunchtime. They had not actually told her why they wanted to see her specifically, and in some ways that did seem quite unfair and devious to Nick. Jeff had argued that if they did say why beforehand, it might prejudice the decision. Nick was much more of a realist than his husband at times, and he knew better than to think they would get an answer that day, unless that answer was a flat out no. He had already prepared himself for the fallout from that answer being given, and as they headed to the meeting, he carried in his jacket pocket half a dozen of Jeff's favourite cookies, a big bar of chocolate, and a pack of red vines. As they sat down opposite the lady in question, he kept his fingers crossed and hoped all went well…
An hour later and they were on their way back home again with the knowledge that the answer had not been an outright no. True, it had not been the emphatic yes that Jeff had been hoping for either, but things did seem quite hopeful. She had told them she would have to talk it over with her partner, which was natural, but she herself could see no major reason as to why not, particularly after Nick had pointed out the main reason why they had elected to ask her first. She asked them to leave it with her, and promised that she would give them an answer within a couple of weeks. For Jeff the prospect was daunting; this was going to be the longest fortnight of his life so far…
That night though all of their cares were forgotten at the concert. Mercedes was in fine voice and thrilled them all with her song choices; most of which were new to them, tracks from her soon to be released second album, including some that she had written herself and one which David had actually written for her. He was there in the midst of them all, and although he had listened to her set several times now in cities across the country, he never tired of listening to the woman that he one day had high hopes of starting a family with. When the crowd cheered her time after time, his heart felt full and wonderful. The only clouds on his horizon were the prospect of those months when she was away on her world tour - there was no way that Google would let him have months off to fly around the globe with her, and he would miss her so much - and secondly, he felt that there was something, somewhere that was just off kilter; as if there was a fault in the world….
He had imagined at first that the prospect of heading back home the following week would have assuaged that, but if anything, that knowledge now seemed to make things worse. He had kept those uncertainties to himself though; Mercedes had enough to worry about of her own, and he didn't want to worry anyone else for something that was so trivial and stupid. Still, he was sure as he sat there that night in Madison Square Garden, Thad knew that there was something on his mind that was making him uneasy. Being the good friend that he was, Thad did not push David to tell him what was going on, but he felt that an angelic intervention in the situation might be no bad thing. After all, Thad always felt better when he confided all of his worries and problems in Wes, and even the latter's death had not altered that situation.
The day after the concert saw them all assembled together once more to celebrate the marriage of Julian and Isabelle. The latter was being dressed for the day by the best stylists that the city had to offer, all anxious to be part of one of the biggest weddings of the year; she might not have been all that famous, but her big day would be covered heavily by the magazine for which she worked. As for Julian, he found himself getting ready for the big event at Cooper's house in Murray Hill; it had been offered as a base as Sebastian's basement home was just too small, at least in the opinion of Grace, to prepare the groom for his day. He was quite calm and almost blasé about it all, to the surprise of everyone; it was left to Sebastian, dressed in the most immaculate and well made of morning suits, to flap and stress.
His eyes had almost popped out of his head earlier when Nick and Jeff had arrived and handed him the Ziti pasta to give to his brother; he had eyed it curiously and then had paled when they told him it was nicknamed bridegroom's pasta as it was shaped like a… Whilst his two friends had smirked, Sebastian had been slightly horrified, until he realised that Julian was in the room, and was now laughing his head off at the idea, and was quite positive that Isabelle would laugh nearly as much when he showed it to her.
Nick and Jeff, like most of the other Warblers, were dressed for the day in their formal uniforms, as they had agreed to Isabelle's request that they sing, and would also back Mercedes later at the reception, as a special favour to David, not that anyone was really too upset about being asked to back one of the biggest stars in music at the moment. David himself was not in uniform, but in a smart suit like Sebastian; he knew that he would be photographed later at the side of his famous girlfriend, and they both agreed he had to look the part.
Outside the sun was shining, and the whole world actually seemed quite calm, for once. Her preparations all now completed, Isabelle asked those assembled around her for a few minutes in her own, and they complied, thinking that it was so that she could gather her thoughts. Naturally, she had wanted everyone out of the room so that she could ask Kurt to come in and pass his judgement on her ensemble. His smile as he entered the room was all that she needed to know that in his opinion, she was perfect. His parting words only made her smile all the more - "It's much better than what you were wearing up in Vermont when you married him the first time…" She had known that he would know, of course, but it was still nice to have that suspicion confirmed by the man himself.
The ceremony passed off without a single hitch. The cameras of the paparazzi captured every moment, from the moment that Isabelle arrived in the vintage car outside the venue to the actual second that she and Julian were declared to be husband and wife, much to the jubilation of the assembled guests. The Warblers had outdone themselves, with the help of some of the New Directions, and everyone would later say that Mercedes had almost stolen the day from the bride with the intensity of her performance. Warm congratulations were shared, the first coming from Cooper and Rachel, both of whom had to rush off after the wedding to their respective afternoon shows. Sebastian had no such worries, but he did have a best man's speech to deliver…
He had written and then rewritten his speech for days, but in the end he had decided, after a little friendly advice from Wes, to take with him just a few short notes and speak entirely from the heart, off the cuff. He was still nervous as the day went on, but when the moment finally came, he knew suddenly what he could do to make sure everyone remembered his words. He stood up, and sang the start of his speech to a set of notes that was familiar to most of them - "Hello! My name's Sebastian Smythe, and I would like to share with you the most amazing speech…" - earning himself a whole lot of laughter right from the off. Those laughs calmed down the last nerves that were lurking inside him, and he was able to handle the remainder of his speech with no issues at all. He even managed to avoid the dubious territory of off-colour jokes that often dominated such speeches, constantly being aware of the presence of his nephew and his mother. He sat down at the end to a round of applause, and a whisper of "Well done!" from a friendly angel at his back…
The initial part of the reception had of course been very refined; everyone was on their very best behaviour whilst the press and Isabelle's boss, Ms Wintour, had been present. Thad had warned the Warblers beforehand that he would be keeping a very tight eye on them all; the last thing he wanted was that one of his friends would show themselves up in front of so many important people. Unlike so many other first dances at weddings they had all attended, here the first one was a waltz, to one of the great classic tunes; as Julian glided around the floor in absolute perfection, Sebastian silently mouthed his gratitude to Mike, who had once again worked his magic, and had turned Julian from a man with two left feet into one that gave at least the impression that he knew what he was doing. There was a lot of dancing, as all of the main people in the wedding party took turns to dance with each other, then selected guests.
Sebastian managed to earn himself more laughs when instead of taking his new sister-in-law for a spin around the floor, he grabbed his brother instead, allowing Julian to lead him once round the floor before convention meant he returned for Isabelle. As the day wore on, Sebastian found himself in the company of Claire, Peter's mother. They were both watching as Isabelle let Peter take her round the floor, earning themselves a lot of 'awws' from around the room.
"She is really lovely," Claire stated. "I was worried when he told me he was getting married, and I thought that she might be a bit of a snob, but she is so down to earth, and has been so kind. Julian has made a good choice there, and thankfully, she and Peter like each other, which is a massive bonus."
"Yeah," Sebastian replied. "There is nothing worse than a wicked stepmother, and trust me, I know all about that."
"That is the last thing that she is. She is more the fairy godmother in this tale. In fact, I would go as far as saying that should anything happen to me, I would be more than happy to know that she was there, because she would love my boy just as much as I do."
Sebastian regarded Claire for a moment after her words, then shook his head. "Well, that is academic, as such things are highly unlikely… However, I do agree that she would be there. After all, she already has one child to look after with Jules; what difference would a second one make…?" Claire laughed at those words, but suddenly for no explicable reason, Sebastian felt uneasy. He hoped to God that she had not just predicted an event they now didn't foresee, as he was quite certain that it would turn everything on its head if she was no longer around.
With the wedding over, the happy couple set off the following day on their honeymoon. They boarded the Queen Mary for a voyage across the Atlantic in style, following that with a few days in London before heading for a few more in Paris. In a scene reminiscent of the liner departures of old, Sebastian and Peter found themselves on the quayside, waving furiously, as a band played and streamers and confetti fell around them, filling the air. Before the 'newlyweds' had boarded the vessel to sail off across the ocean, Julian had spent longer than usual hugging his son, telling him just how much he loved him and that he had to keep himself safe until he returned home, probably laden with gifts. He had already handed his son a book to read all about Europe, and promised he would tell him all about it when he got back.
Peter replied that he loved his father every bit as much, and he loved Isabelle too; he also said that he would be safe as he knew all of the rules and drills they went through for safety at school. Then he announced "Of course, mom and I went through all of the safety drills last week just before we left; she said that we needed a reminder." That phrase gave Julian cause to pause for a moment, and he did not know why. There was nothing to be done though, as at that moment the ship's horn blew, signalling that it was time for him to board with his wife. He pulled his son and his brother into one final hug each, and then headed aboard, dismissing the fear he felt as nerves about the crossing; after all, he had seen Titanic…
Sebastian and Peter waited until the liner was almost out of sight before they turned round and headed back in the direction of the hotel where Peter had been staying with his mom for the wedding. It wasn't that far to walk, and they strolled along, happily chatting. Then Peter said, "Uncle Bazzy, have you ever been in an earthquake?"
"No, I haven't, at least not yet. Why do you ask; have you?" Sebastian replied with a faint smile.
"There was a little one just the day before we left, and it was scary, but I did all the drill as I was supposed to, and everyone said that I had done really well."
"Well, if it ever does happen again, you make sure and do exactly what you did that time, okay," replied Sebastian. He stopped, and pulled Peter into a hug, not knowing quite why he had the urge to. "Promise me that you will always do the things that grown ups have told you to in a situation like that. I didn't always when I was younger, and I ended up in trouble a few times. When you are older, and I mean a lot older, then I will tell you all about that…"
That night Peter and Claire joined David and Mercedes on the record company's jet for the flight back to L.A. Claire had demurred at first, but Mercedes had pointed out that first of all, the more people the plane carried, the better it was for the environment. There were seats available, and it was silly for her to pay for flights back when they could go free. Then of course Peter had found out about the offer, and he had been so excited about the prospect of flying in a private jet with a big star that she had been unable to say no. Sebastian did not have time to go with them to the airport to say goodbye, as he had to be on stage, so he had said his farewells in town. He had hugged Claire first, which left her bemused, and then told her to take care of herself and her boy. Then he had enfolded Peter to his chest for a very long time, leaving the boy a little startled, but happy nonetheless…
Then they were gone. As the taxi pulled away, Dave guided his husband back inside, and spoke. "Okay, so that was pretty full on, Sebby. You do realise that they are only going back to L.A., not the dark side of the moon?" He meant the words as a joke, but he stopped as Sebastian looked up and he saw that he had tears running down his face.
"I know, but…there is something nagging away at me, something that made me want to offer to let them stay here for a few more days; even just have Peter stay here for a little longer. I know that would be horrendously impractical, given that we both have work, but… I have a horrible feeling that there is something not right about all of this, something off with the world, and honestly, I am afraid I might not see them again…"
Then Sebastian began to sob, and Dave rushed over to take him into his arms. This was seriously out of character for his husband; he never let things bother him like this. All he could do was hold him, and hope that all of his fears would be misplaced…