Awards and Weddings.
For those whose lives were centred on the entertainment whirl that was Broadway, the start of June meant only one thing; the annual trip to that glittering night when they celebrated their own at the Tony Awards. Cooper was quite relieved that this year he had no nomination to contend with, and for him the night was just one to relax and look out for his friends. He was joined by a smiling Grace, whose baby bump was now quite obvious, and was the subject of conversation amongst some as they had arrived. He and his fellow cast were at the table next to the one occupied by the cast of Book of Mormon, which meant that Mason was close by, glad that he too was not in the running for anything. Had there been an award for best newcomer, then he might have been, but that had only ever been a category once, back in 1948... Like Cooper, he could relax with Jane at his side, and wait to see whether the man that had previously been Elder Price would get an award for his second Broadway lead….
Sebastian was of course not the only one of the close circle of friends that had a nomination that night; Santana too was sitting with the cast of Evita, trying not to lose her usual cool calm exterior, despite the fact that she was nervous. The conflict within her was strange; she wanted to win, to prove that she could and yes, so that she could rub Rachel's face in the fact that she had won a Tony before her. Old habits died hard. Then again, if they announced someone else had won she would be relieved that she did not have to go up on stage and make speech as the flashbulbs flashed and the attention of the world was upon her. Of course, the blonde woman at her side only wanted her to win, and was doing her best to calm the inner conflict within her wife through her usual intimate ways, though keeping it very PC. She glanced across at her fellow nominee, and smiled as she saw that he was every bit as nervous as her. He was joined by Dave, his maman and Peter, as neither Isabelle or Julian were around; quite understandably given the fact that she was so recent a mother.
The show began on time, with all of the usual ceremony, and the usual performances mixed in. Santana found herself up on the stage, trying to ignore the television cameras, as she sang Another Suitcase for the gathered company; they had tried to get her to sing the big one, but she decided that if they all wanted to hear that, they could buy a ticket. Minutes later Sebastian was up on stage with only Laurie Metcalfe for company, singing Oh, What a Beautiful Morning! to a New York crowd in the evening, and getting as much applause as Santana had when he finished. The awards came through thick and fast, and they all applauded strangers that they hardly knew; it was advisable in case one day you had to work with them. Then it was time for the award for Best Actress in a Musical, presented by Nathan Lane. For Santana the world seemed to slow down as the names of her fellow nominees were read out, and then the envelope was opened… "And the Tony Award for 2020 for best actress in a musical revival goes to Santana Pierce-Lopez for Evita…"
If Brittany had not been there, Santana would have run from the building; she slowly got up as her wife squealed with delight, and made the walk to the stage as the great and the good applauded her. She was sure she could hear someone whistling at her, and knew it was either Carmen, or Sebastian, who had been the first one on his feet… The trophy in her hands, she stepped up to the mic. "Okay, so I am sure someone has made a mistake. But hey, it is mine now…" She paused as there was laughter, then continued, "Well, I refuse to cry, and I hate long speeches, so I would like to thank all my friends for their support, Carmen Tibideaux of NYADA for forcing me to take the audition that lead me here, and my family, who have been there for me when I needed them most. I would like to dedicate this award though to one special lady; my Abeula. I love her more now than ever, and I can only imagine the pleasure she is going to take in telling her friends at the social club that her granddaughter is a Tony Award winner. Anyway, thank you all, and good night!"
Santana stepped back into the safety of the wings, accepting words of congratulations from Mr Lane and the others there as she headed back to her seat, where she handed the trophy to Brittany. It had happened, and now she could relax… She smiled over at her fellow NYADA graduate as he waited for his moment. His award was to be handed to him by someone unexpected; a well known woman that had never graced a Broadway stage, but was known by millions across the land. At the age of 98, she was still as spry as ever, and the audience cheered as it was announced that Betty White was to present the award for best Actor in a Musical. Santana had to stop herself from laughing as she saw Sebastian's face at that news, knowing full well that he had once referred to Kurt as 'Young Betty White'. Now he was potentially about to meet the real article.
The nominations were read, and then the announcement was made. "I have often felt that I should have taken the chance to do Broadway; maybe it isn't too late though. I hear that there is a character in this show that I could play, if I could get rid of the young lady playing it… The winner is Sebastian Smythe for Oklahoma!" As the cheers went up from around the room, and Peter had to be restrained from running over and hugging his uncle by that man's equally excited maman, Sebastian got to his feet, feeling as if he was bright red in the face. He pointedly looked away from Santana, knowing she would be happy, but in the mood to tease him over those comments from so long ago… He decided to handle the moment with humour, so as he arrived next to the legend, he fell to his knees and bowed deeply and reverentially, which got him a gale of laughter from the crowd, and a smile from the lady herself. He accepted the trophy, then bent down with his lips pursed to offer a kiss to her cheek, which she accepted with a grin. Then, wiping his brow and fanning himself, he made his way to the mic.
"Okay, Laurie, it's been good, but I think we have a new Aunt Eller…" The crowd burst out laughing as Ms Metcalfe just shook her head with a smile. "I would like to thank you all for this, my first Tony for myself, and the one I won without the help of my friends, not that there absence from the show made their support any less valuable. I wouldn't be here at all were it not for my co-stars, and the faith of the director and producer in a Mormon boy being believable as a cowman. I would like to thank my family too, and say hi to my brother Julian, and his much more well known wife Isabelle, who have given me a niece this week, that fortunately takes after her mother… Anyway, like my old friend Santana said, long speeches are boring, and in any case, I have a beautiful lady to escort to the after party - ready when you are, Ms White…" With much applause, Sebastian offered an arm to the lady beside him, and she accepted, and he walked off to the adulation of the room.
In no time, the ceremony was over, and it was time for the after show parties to commence. As soon as she arrived at the main one, Santana headed to find Sebastian, ignoring the photographers that wanted to take her photo with her award; there would be time for that after she had had words with the meerkat. She found him sitting in a corner quietly, waiting for the rest of his little family group to arrive and find him. "So, my friend, how does it feel to have been in the presence of a legend? How does the older Betty White compare to Kurt?"
Sebastian looked her in the eye, and said, "There is absolutely no comparison between the two of them. Kurt might not have been my greatest fan, and vice versa, but he was a good person, who would never, ever… Santana, she pinched my bottom once we got off stage. I have just been groped by a 98 year old…"
Santana looked at him for a moment, at the expression on his face, and then before she could stop herself, she laughed. It was not a quiet laugh either, and it soon echoed through the room, as Sebastian went redder by the moment. "Oh, my, God! This is absolutely priceless. That is what you get for being that dapper flirt you always are around women of a certain age. Still, it is technically assault, so in the spirit of #MeToo, I guess we should inform someone."
"Err, no. I would rather not, thank you. She had such a twinkle in her eye afterwards, and she didn't mean any harm. I don't want the whole world to know she is a bottom pincher."
"Or that you let her pinch you," said Santana with a smirk that rivalled Sebastian's own. "Okay, it will remain between us - and my wife, because I have to tell her everything, and you should tell Dave. From what I recall, he always liked a good laugh…"
"No wonder they nicknamed you Satan," muttered Sebastian, then as he saw someone approach, he smiled. "Good evening, aunt Bette. How did you enjoy the ceremonial?"
"My darling boy, it was a delight. I am so pleased for you to win a Tony of your own, and yours is also well deserved, young lady. I expect that this will not be the last for either of you. You just need to be careful though; if rumours got out that you are letting old women grope you…."
Santana laughed again as Bette Midler put on an innocent face, and Sebastian just groaned. "How did you find out? How many people know what she did?"
"The legendary Ms White had a bit of a rep for it to be honest; she doesn't mean anything by it, she is just using her age as an excuse. I am far too young to do that yet with any young man I pinch, but I am looking forward to getting older and getting away with it. I take it that she has ruled herself out by her actions from being your new Aunt Eller?"
"Yeah. I don't think I could sing that opening number knowing she was behind me and could do it again. In any case, Laurie has given us a reasonably long commitment, and when she does decide to go, she will be suggesting a suitable replacement that she thinks I could work with."
"Oh, I know that, my boy. She has already chosen someone that will have the same big name status on the marquee, and how knows her way around a Broadway stage, though usually in parts a trifle more glamorous." Bette winked, then excused herself, leaving Sebastian wondering…
"It might just be me, Meerkat, but I think that your Aunt Bette was hinting she might be your Aunt Eller someday," said Santana in slight awe.
"Yes, I thought so too," he replied, "and it might be fun…" He broke off as he saw Dave heading in their direction, accompanied by Brittany; and as his phone buzzed at the same time. He waved at his husband, then checked the message that had just arrived. "Okay, so who told my brother about Betty? Does the whole world know? Was it you, Satan?"
"Certainly not! I did not contact Julian. I only sent a text to Thad for the Warbler group chat," came his response as Santana walked off, just in case he exploded. With a groan, Sebastian realised that the night he won his first Tony would be associated by his friends forever with the night that Betty White made a move on him. He was never going to live this one down. He only hoped that they would all be kind…
If anyone else knew about Sebastian's encounter with a legend, then they said nothing to his face. In any case, as June drew towards its close, election fever had broken out across the nation. In the midst of all the politics though, it was wedding fever that began to consume the group of friends, as they approached the last Saturday of the month, the day of the double wedding. There had of course been the usual and expected pre-wedding gatherings; Kitty had requested the use of the beach house in Port Jefferson for her bachelorette party, and Jeff had agreed to it without hesitation. Artie had decided that he wanted something altogether more low key, and had just brought his closest friends together for dinner at the Spotlight. Whereas Kitty's party would turn into a night of drunken debauchery, Artie's was a sophisticated celebration of the bonds of friendship…
Colin and Edward had taken a leaf out of Flint's book, and had combined the usual Warbler graduation pilgrimage with their main bachelor party; they did however also have a separate gathering for college friends in the middle of June, to which they invited their Warbler brethren that were in the city and free on a Saturday night. When the party ended up being at a secret venue in New Jersey, everyone was a little surprised. It was only on the actual day that the exact location was revealed by the college friend that had organised it, and both Beats and Flint were left feeling mortified as a result. Edward did not make it any better when he pointed out that the pictures of the current Preppy Boys were nowhere near as hot as he imagined he and Flint had been quietly to Beats. In the end, they both cried off, leaving only Seth and Skylar to make the trip over to New Jersey; the former remembered very little, as he had been very drunk. Skylar however had remained sober, as was his normal, and by the end of the night he was regretting his choice to be a responsible, sober adult. He had seen things that night that he could never now unsee…
On the night before the wedding, Colin came to stay with Nick and Jeff next door. Even though he and Edward had been living together and sharing a bed more or less since their Dalton days, it still felt right and proper that on the night before they married, they should be apart. Sebastian was also staying over that night, as he had only been able to secure the matinee performance off his show the following day; the idea of a late arrival home, followed by an earlier than usual start, two weddings and a late finish from his evening show did not appeal in the slightest. He arrived to find Colin on his phone, as Nick sat and rolled his eyes.
"This is why Jeffie and I did not bother to be apart the night before we married," he whispered to Sebastian. "This is his seventh call to Edward in the last two hours, because they just miss each other too much. You just get so used to the presence of the other person in your life, and in your bed, that being separated from them just feels unnatural and wrong. I know it is how I feel when I have to go away to Switzerland for meetings, and Jeff is here; I feel incomplete and more than a little bereft."
"It's much the same for me with Dave, although we are older now, and don't need to make quite so many phone calls," Sebastian replied with a grin. "Fortunately, he has an early game tomorrow, and so although he will miss seeing Edwin become a legal couple, he will be with me at Artie and Kitty's ceremony. I admit it will seem odd to be on my own at the first wedding though…"
"Ah, but you won't be," said Nick. "You have been officially appointed to take care of Ethan for the first ceremony, as Mercedes won't be there, and so Thad will be partnering up with David. She will be attending the second ceremony, so that leaves Thad free for what he terms Ethanwatch…"
Sebastian shook his head as he realised just how well planned the whole day was thanks to Thad; he had even directed them all over Skype as to what they would sing at the ceremony.
At twelve noon the following day, a full compliment of Warblers gathered at City Hall alongside family and other friends to witness the wedding of two of their number who had come together, ironically, as a result of their fear of Hunter Clarington. The Carmichaels were there, naturally, as was little Wes, who almost stole the show dressed as he was in the tiny Dalton uniform that Mrs Carmichael had sewn by hand, and had presented to Nick first thing that morning. Once he had seen it, he and Jeff both agreed that nothing else was suitable or appropriate for the ceremony. Artie was there too with his camera, begging them all not to get him in their own photographs, or to mention him on social media, or Kitty would freak out. He was accompanied by Mike and Puck, and knew that Quinn was in the process of spinning an elaborate lie to his wife to be so that the truth would be concealed…
Seth was acting as Edward's best man, and Skylar was fulfilling that role for Colin; if anything, they were far more nervous than the two grooms. This showed up when it came to the crucial moment when they had to hand over the rings; Seth was unable to hold on to his, dropping it on the floor, claiming a sudden cramp in his hand, which had been followed by a nasty muscle spasm. It was laughed off by everyone with one exception; there was just something in the way that Seth looked that made Thad concerned; he suspected that this problem was not a new one for the younger man, and that these kinds of cramps had occurred before. He resolved that once the two ceremonies were out of the way, he would seek him out for a quiet chat, just to make certain that nothing was seriously wrong.
As both of the grooms had predicted, the ceremony was brief, and by 12.30, two more former Warblers had become husbands, as around them their closest friends celebrated. There were naturally photographs to be taken, and the first of those was of the two new husbands with Artie and Puck. The latter had been Artie's first choice as best man; as the younger man said, he had been there for him since his darkest of moments at McKinley, and the bond that they had forged during his sophomore year had remained one of the strongest that he had. Mike and Sam both understood why he had been chosen over them and had no issue with it. Those photographs taken, the two of them left the confines of City Hall for the church, much too early in many people's opinion, but then it did guarantee that the bride-to-be did not freak out…
For someone that was usually so together, so strong, and full of confidence, Kitty's full blown freak-out was of great amusement to some, but Artie understood precisely why she should feel so insecure, given what he knew about the darkest days of her past.
Back at City Hall, the others had all posed for their own photographs in turn, including one that was suggested by Thad, where the two newlyweds were flanked by Nick and Jeff, Trent and Rory, and Sebastian, even if Dave was still at his game. At the last moment, there was the sound of someone clearing their throat, and Beats and Elliott joined the line up. As people looked, he said "We might not be married, but we are a couple, and I think that it is only right that we are included." Nobody could argue with that logic, and the picture was taken, the newlyweds surrounded by friends in the same position as them. On the sidelines, Santana watched for a moment, then placed a hand on Thad's arm. He said nothing to her, but she knew instinctively that he would be thinking of the couple from Dalton that were missing from that picture; the one that he was half of. The other half of that couple was grateful to her at that moment, his own hand on Thad's other shoulder; between them, Thad kept a brave face in the moment, as his own suggestion caused him more than a little pain…
The photos taken, the guests made their way to the small reception that was being held in a hall that was not all that far from the church were the second of the day's ceremonies would be held. There was a buffet to be eaten, supplied by the Spotlight Diner naturally, and in no time people were eating and mingling quite happily with each other. The two grooms had both agreed that they would not be attending the second wedding, given the presence of so many members of their respective families and friends of their own at the reception. It would have been exceptionally rude to just abandon all of them for an hour or so, and even Kitty understood that their absence was not intended as a snub. At the same time though, the grooms had insisted that Seth and Skylar should attend, and with that in mind, all of the speeches had to be out of the way by 2.30pm at the very latest….
With that in mind, the guests were called to order at 2pm prompt, and the first of the speeches was begun. Seth rose to his feet first, and Thad could not help but notice that the same hand from which he had dropped the ring with was now shaking as it held his speech notes. It was a relief to Seth and Thad for that matter when Skylar stood up and joined him, and to everyone's amusement, they gave a joint best man's speech, taking a line about; as they pointed out right at the very start, the two young men that had just been legally united had been a couple for so long that it was now so hard to separate them for anything. At the end, when they proposed a toast to Edwin, there was a little confusion amongst those that were not former Warblers, or close to them. It took a few moments and an explanation to get the rest of the room to understand that Edwin was the couple name the Warblers had given them. The grooms then took great pleasure in cutting the cake, a rich chocolate one that had been baked by Nick for them. It was shared out, and enjoyed, until it was the moment that Thad gave a discreet signal; then the Warblers and their close friends took their leave to walk the short distance to the church where the bells were ringing out for wedding number two…
As the others had been enjoying the wedding buffet, Artie and Puck had been waiting patiently inside the church, although they had stopped off for fried chicken on the way. Puck had requested extra napkins, and had further ensured that Artie's wedding suit would stay clean by taking a blanket from the bag on his chair, and draping it over him. This had earned them stares amongst the clientele in the restaurant until he had explained the reason for doing so to the onlookers; after that, they could all see why it was necessary. By 2pm however, they were in their spot at the front of an otherwise empty church. The decorations were all in place, and Puck even found the buttonhole flowers for himself and the groom left in the exact spot he had requested.
Surprisingly, Artie felt no nerves whatsoever about the commitment that he was about to make, and instead he found himself spending time in reducing his best man's stress instead. "Puck, compared to half of the stuff that you are trained to do, this is a piece of cake. You have completed task one; getting me here on time, in one piece and in pristine condition. We have checked, and you have both the rings and the speech. With all of the nerves you are displaying, anyone would be forgiven for thinking that it is you that was about to be getting married, not me."
"I'll let you into a secret; I am nervous because it is going to be a big day for me too. I am going to ask Quinn to marry me later; I thought that this would be a good chance whilst everyone that matters is here."
"That is a good thing, and I am pleased for you both. Are you worried that she will say no, because I sincerely doubt that…"
"Honestly? I am worried that your future wife might kill me for hijacking her big day by doing it."
Artie burst out laughing at that notion, although he had to concede that maybe it would be best to let his future wife know what Puck intended to do as soon as he possibly could…
The first of the others to arrive at the church was Sam, looking the part in a well tailored suit; since he had taken the role of Princeton in Avenue Q he had adopted a much more preppy style of dress, as well as cutting his hair shorter, something that he knew Rachel approved of. She had been in a strange mood ever since the Tonys, and Sam was certain that the fact that she had not yet been nominated for one personally was part of the issue; there was one in the house, but that was for the ensemble cast of Hello Dolly! Still, there was talk of a new show about the lives of the Bronte sisters, and the read through for that had gone well, according to Rachel. He had decided though that there was something that he could do that could lift her gloom and despondency, and that was one of the reasons that he had come early, and alone…
"Hey guys, all set for the big event? Rachel sent me to check that the two of you were here, as Kitty heard a rumour that Artie had been seen filming at the other wedding, and she was concerned that you would end up going to the reception for that and completely forget about the time…"
"That rumour is completely true, but we left right after the big 'I do' moment, more or less," replied Artie, wondering how Kitty had found out. "She is still freaking out then?"
"From what I have been told, Marley is on the point of slapping her, bride to be or not. Unique has retreated to the safety of another room, and if she could go further, she would. Quinn is wishing that she had left and come to the other wedding with the two of you. The only person there that is not completely insane by now is Tina, and that fact is to some people a more frightening thing…"
"We will pretend that we didn't hear that," said Puck, "But yes, if she is the sorted one, then there is a serious issue."
"The other reason that I am here does not seem like a sensible one given the circumstances… Rachel has been a bit down since the Tony Awards, and so I have decided that it is about time that we made our relationship official and proposed to make her smile…"
"You too, huh?" said Puck with a grin, as Artie groaned inwardly. He might have been able to get away with one proposal, but two…
"Okay, I will need to speak to Kitty first before either of you go down on one knee. If she does say no, and given how wired she is right now, she might, then you will need to wait until after we leave the reception to propose. That applies to both of you, and I will add this; if anyone else comes to me and says they want to propose to someone today, it will be a flat no." The other two could only nod, and hope that Kitty would agree…
By five minutes to three, the church was more or less full. Those that had been at the other wedding had arrived, and had spread themselves out evenly across both sides. Family members were in place from both sides; Artie's mother had finally torn herself away from little Wes, having gone over to thank Jeff again for all that he had done to make it possible for her son to live in the city, but one look at the baby that he held in his arms had made her melt. That image had made the groom wonder when she would start to ask about grandchildren of her own. Rachel and Quinn had arrived, both looking the worse for their time with the bride. She had arrived, but had not got out of the car, not wishing to be early. The car was currently driving round the block, as a cop had come to move them on as they waited. It had taken all of the strength that Tina and Marley possessed to stop the bride from getting out of the car and punching the officer in the face. Artie could only hope that there would be no traffic hold ups on the journey, remembering what he had been told about the way that she had acted when her bus had been held up on the day he proposed to her at the Spotlight… Still, she had come, everything else was in place, and the whole day was going to be about her until she agreed otherwise….
Naturally that was moment that the church door opened and the final two invited guests arrived with profuse apologies. The thing that attracted everyone's attention was the fact that they had another, smaller person with them…