Niff Head to London.
That night, as the group of former Warblers headed back home, Skylar took the seat next to Seth on the late flight to New York, with his arm wrapped around his best friend's shoulder in a protective way. The events of the day had left Seth tired and a little drained, but he also felt as if a weight had been lifted off him. He was no longer dealing with his condition alone; instead he had the full support of the people that he regarded as his true family. He knew that that family would increase in size over the next few days as word spread to the rest of their circle in the city. Edward he knew had already made a call to Luke and Duncan, so that the entire household would be aware of what was going on. He was also sure that when Jeff had called Mike to see how little Wes was behaving for him and Tina, the subject of his health would have come into their conversation. Thad had also made a call to his brother, catching him in a quiet moment, and had told him that he now knew the truth; that had to be a weight off the good doctor's mind too, to know that he could talk to his brother and if something slipped out, it would not be a betrayal of a scared trust…
Once the flight was in the air, Skylar decided that he should broach the tricky subject eluded to by Mrs Carmichael. "So, Seth, have you considered trying to contact your parents about what is going on?"
"Them?" replied Seth, then gave a deep sigh. "I doubt that they would even remember who I am if I got in touch. I was reliably informed in any case that they moved state a couple of years back by one of my ex neighbours…"
"And they didn't tell you, their son, where they were going?" said Skylar, incredulous that any parent would consider such a move.
"I was always lead to believe that I was an unfortunate accident, the product of an ill advised one night stand before marriage, and for my deeply religious, highly conservative parents and their families, that was an issue. Don't get me wrong, they did marry, but not until after I was born. They had two more children, but me, I was never a part of that family. In fact, until I was thirteen, I thought they were my aunt and uncle. I had been raised by my grandmother, the neighbours told I was the son of a distant relative… Then she died, not long after i was sent to Dalton, and that was when it all came out for me at least. My grandmother was from Westerville originally, and it was her decision that I should be sent to Dalton, the fees coming from her and set aside in a trust fund. Then there was a college fund, and that was my inheritance from her. That of course probably made my parents angry, given that they inherited everything else when she died. Since I was despatched to Dalton, there has been no contact. So, you see, I don't need them in my life, never have, and so I don't want them to know."
Skylar nodded sadly, his heart aching, not just because of what he had just been told, but because the whole sorry tale had been delivered in a matter of fact tone, devoid of any kind of emotion. "You have all of us anyway," was all he could think of saying.
"You guys are all the family I could ever want or need anyway," Seth replied with a smile, and then settled back in his seat…
If Seth found himself on the receiving end of more hugs and warm words than normal over the next week it was just as he had expected anyway. He returned to the life that he knew, still managing to work at the career he loved as he strove to finish his degree qualification. Having told his friends, he had made an appointment to see his course advisor on Monday morning, and had come clean about his condition. He had been expecting that he would be asked to leave, but instead he found only sympathy and understanding from those at the college; to his surprise, one of his tutors invited him to a meeting and offered him a post as his lab assistant after he graduated. As the man said, the role involved the less complex tasks, things that he could still manage easily if he was having a bad day with his condition. He accepted the offer without any hesitation, as he was a realist; in the cold world outside the confines of the college, he would probably struggle to find an employer that would take him on given his diagnosis, and the job at the college gave him an income and a good benefits package…
The whole situation around his healthcare needs had had a profound affect on Trent, and he was determined that people in his situation should not have to rely on charity and good fortune in the future. On his return to Washington, he had scheduled a meeting with Burt, and told him the full story; he had then found himself repeating it in the Oval Office. There were situations like it across the country after all, and it needed someone to step up and deal with it. This time, there was a chance that something might actually be done about it…
The weekend after the Dalton graduation saw an even larger gathering take place; this time it was in Boston, for the baptism of David and Mercedes' son. Their son was only the second child in the group to have had an official ceremony, and this one was being held very much on the quiet, at a small church that his parents both attended from time to time. David freely admitted that the ceremony was as much about placating two sets of parents as anything else, but it did give Simon Wesley Thompson the best possible start. The ceremony passed off without a hitch, with Thad as one of the godfathers, and Quinn as one of the godmothers.
Some of those there looked at Quinn and wondered if she was quite well, her face seeming to be much paler than usual; however, it was the only the two other members of the Unholy Trinity that guessed exactly what was going on, and they were both pleased for her. They knew that she had always been afraid that Beth might turn out to be her only child, but that now seemed to be unfounded. What they did not know was that she and Puck had been in contact with Beth only recently; their daughter was now nearly a teenager. She had begun to ask questions and Shelby had always agreed that if and when she did, she would tell her the truth. The fact that their first daughter was doing well at school, and had a perfect set of manners made her biological parents very proud. Giving her up had been the best thing for her back then, but now, as she was about to get a brother or sister, things might well alter…
Quinn and Puck would finally announce their news to the group the week before the 3rd birthday of the oldest of the children born to the members of the circle of friends. Little Wes was not so little any more, and had become a content and articulate young boy. He was not at all spoilt, and as his birthday approached, he did not start to make demands for expensive and outlandish gifts; indeed, his only request was that he might get some new Lego, and that his father might bake him his favourite cake for his birthday party. He was only too happy to assist in the preparation of that sweet treat too, as he had an interest in baking that had grown since Jeff had started to make cookies with him. His teachers at kindergarten had also remarked to his parents that he spent a lot of his time in the play kitchen. He had also shown a remarkable amount of talent with his crayons, and his best drawings were proudly displayed on the door of the refrigerator, held there with magnets.
As his birthday approached, he was also aware that there was a big change coming to his way of life. He had seen his dad placing paperwork in labelled files, and one day placing tickets in the safest place in the house. He had sat still and solemn one day for his papa whilst a passport photograph was taken, and later that week he had been presented with two colouring books; one on plane trips, and one filled with pictures of a place called London. It did look an interesting place, albeit one where the buildings were less tall, and the buses had an upstairs. He had also had a talk with his papa about something called The Royal Family; it had seemed strange to him at first that someone could be so powerful because of who their parents had been, but then his papa had pointed out that Presidents seemed to come from families too, and that unlike the President, the King or Queen had no real power to make important decisions. They did however get their picture on banknotes, coins and postage stamps… Wes decided that if he ever went to London, then he would like to meet the Queen, or a Prince; maybe that was something his dad could arrange for him…
By the time that his birthday came, little Wes knew that they were going to London, and he had watched as the majority of the packing was done by his dad and papa. Indeed, some of their things were already en route to England and what would be their temporary home. The house that they had initially been offered through the UN was in an area called Belsize Park, and although it was very nice, it was smaller than their current home. Although it had good amenities close by, Nick and Jeff both decided they needed somewhere larger, as they anticipated getting visitors during their year away; it would mean spending a little of their own money above the UN allowance, but that was not a problem.
It was Jeff that came across the house in Thurloe Square, South Kensington. It was just a few minutes walk from the main London museums, and had easy access to Nick's new office; it was also on a direct tube route to Heathrow airport, which made it ideal for visitors. Nick had to agree that it was as close to perfect as they would ever get, and it was just the size they were used to. The clincher however was the discovery that the area had many highly rated kindergartens as well; indeed, one was the school that had been attended by the young royal princes and princess. The school was still attended by the first child of Harry and Meaghan, but that fact did not make it more appealing to them, as it would have done to some.
Now that the cases were being packed, those that were bringing Wes gifts for his birthday had been asked to bring small things that could be packed for a transatlantic trip. All of his grandparents would be in attendance, as indeed where his great grandparents on Nick's mother's side of the family. All of them were fully aware that it could be a year before they saw him again, and in childhood, a year was a long time. True, all four grandparents had been hinting that they were considering flying to London for Christmas, something that did not exactly fill Nick with joy, knowing that it would fall to him to prepare the meal on the big day in a strange kitchen…
There were no shortage of friends that day in the house; the Carmichaels had arrived with Thad unexpectedly, stating that they were heading to Princeton, and New York was on the way, and it allowed them to explore the old haunts of their college days. Nick knew that they actually just wanted to see them before they headed abroad, and then of course it gave them an opportunity to check in with Seth. Wes was of course the picture of politeness with all of the adult visitors, much as everyone imagined that the other Wes would have been at the same age. The angel in question, standing by the mini muffins and cheesecakes on the buffet table did not comment on that suggestion, being too busy fending other angels off those sweet treats…
Wes enjoyed his lunch with the adults, then was escorted to his proper birthday party with children of his own age afterwards, a raucous affair that this year involved trampolines, ball pits and climbing frames. The noise at the second party was much greater than that at the first obviously, and for the birthday boy's namesake, it was a reminder of a Warbler party in full swing back in his day. He laughed just a little though at how both Nick and Jeff looked frazzled with everything that was going on, a sign that they were getting older… With the parties over, they headed back home, and leaving Wes to be fussed over by his grandparents, they packed the last things in their cases, ready for their scheduled departure the following night.
That also meant that it was time for one member of the household to move to his temporary home. Caleb made his way into the pet carrier when Jeff suggested it easily enough - it was far too dark after all for it to be time for a trip to the V.E.T. - but then, as he saw that as Jeff carried him out, his other older human was right behind him, carrying his bed and favourite toys, he felt a sudden sense of shock and betrayal. Was he being rejected now, when he had done nothing wrong? Even the words of the blond human, telling him he was heading to stay with his Uncle Mike did nothing to stop the feeling of rejection…
Jeff had been dreading this moment for a while. Ever since that day when he had found a tiny kitten in a dumpster during a snow storm, he had been there for him constantly; Caleb might now be a fully grown cat, but he was more Jeff's pet than he was Nick's. Someone had once remarked quietly that Caleb was Jeff's child, and that statement was not entirely untrue. He knew that taking him to London would have been more cruel; there would have been the lengthy flight, the quarantine and the kennels, the isolation and the pain. He knew that he would also have a safe and loving home for the next year with Mike, but he still felt so much guilt about leaving him. It had been Nick's suggestion that they take Caleb to Mike the night before they left to give him a chance to get used to his new environment. There was a big part of Jeff that would have preferred to ask Mike and Tina to move into their house rather than move Caleb and disrupt his little life, but he knew that was too much to ask anyone.
Now that the moment was here, and they had Caleb in Mike and Tina's living room, Jeff felt tears quickly beginning to form in his eyes, and his state was not helped by the look of reproach he was getting from his pet. On opening the carrier, Caleb shot out and stalked across the room; Jeff followed him, and went to take him into his arms. For a moment he thought that he would be rebuffed, but he was allowed to take a sullen cat into his arms. "I know that you don't like this, and neither do I," Jeff began, tears now falling down his face. "However, I have to go away; not forever, though it might well seem like that to both of us. I wish you could come, but you can't; they would take you away from me and have you in a horrible kennel for weeks and that would be torture for both of us. Mike and Tina will treat you well, and I am sure that they will spoil you with all the things that you love, especially Mike. I will be back to visit at some point, I hope, and this time next year I will be back for good, I promise. After this, I will never leave you again…" Caleb suddenly let out a miaow, one so piteous that Jeff started to sob. "Okay, so I am going to go now. Be good for your uncle Mike; he loves you almost as much as me…"
As if on cue, Mike was at his side, and Jeff handed Caleb over to him, although he attempted to stay in Jeff's arms, miaowing loudly. Then the transfer was done, and Jeff turned and left, ignoring the miaows of pain and misery that filled the air. Outside the room, Nick was waiting with his arms wide open, having anticipated how things would go, and soon he had his husband sobbing into his chest. As for Caleb, he quickly realised that his miaows would not get the blond to return, and as Mike stroked him gently, he went quiet. At least he was safe and warm; bereft, but not cast into a dumpster this time. Plus the blond human, his human, had said he would come back, and all his instincts told him that he meant every word…
The next morning saw a subdued Jeff at the breakfast table, trying his best to ignore the empty space by the radiator where his little friend's bed had been the previous morning. Nick had made him his favourite breakfast, but that did little to lighten his mood or brighten his spirits. Nick knew that it would pass, and that by tonight his husband would be okay again, buoyed up by the excitement of heading to London. However, he had learned from the experience, and he now knew what he could expect when, in several years time he hoped, Caleb left them for good… After breakfast, Nick headed into work to get his final briefing about his trip, and to say temporary farewell to his colleagues. Then there were the few final things to do at home before leaving; keys to hand over to Mike and Elliott, who had agreed between them to keep an eye on the place whilst it was empty.
The fact was though that the house would not be empty all then time that they were away. David and Mercedes would be coming to stay in the city for a few months; the former had been seconded to the UN from Google to undertake some IT work for them, and the latter had tracks to lay down for her next album, and that was much easier to do in New York where she knew the producers and the studio. It had made no sense to Nick and Jeff that they rent somewhere when their own place was empty. As for their own place in Boston, well it would not be empty either. After many years, Gabriel's long term girlfriend was finally heading back home; he had proposed to her via Skype, she had accepted and the wedding had been scheduled for October. That would mean that Mitch would have to move out of Gabriel's place, and it was agreed that he would housesit for David and Mercedes whilst he looked for somewhere of his own…
The grandparents and great-grandparents were still in town, and all of them returned to the West Village for the time that the car that was taking the little Sterling-Duval family to the airport was scheduled to arrive. Grace appeared with Cooper and the twins, starting a round of hugs that seemed to last forever. Friends too had come to say farewell. Trent had not been able to, but had called them to wish them all the best. Sebastian had made it though, and found himself tearing up, and only a swift bear hug from his two friends had spared him his blushes. The general opinion was that things were just not going to be the same for any of them whilst they were gone. Mike appeared at the last moment, having left Caleb in the care of Tina, who was keeping him away from the windows. He pulled them both into a hug, and wiped away a few tears of his own as he did so. Then they were in the car, and away. Those that were assembled on the pavement lingered for a moment; if there was surprise at the fact that it was Kitty that pulled Sebastian into a comforting hug then no-one showed it; both of them had just mellowed with age….
It was all a big adventure of course to young Wes, and he was bright eyed and full of wonder as they made their way to the airport. Just as Nick had anticipated, that rubbed off on Jeff, and he watched quietly as his husband and son talked away with the same big grin on their faces. It stayed that way as he checked them in, and did not fade even as they passed through the security line. When they turned left as they boarded the plane a few hours later, the excitement grew even more; they had been upgraded by the airline, something that they always did for UN staff. Wes was more than happy when he realised that his seat would become a bed, and when the time came, he fell asleep in minutes, as did his papa. Nick smiled at them both, then gave in to his own need to sleep, as the plane carried them off to a new chapter in their lives…
The first few days in London for Nick and Jeff were all about settling into a new house and a new pace of life. They had decided to take a cab from the airport to their new address and little Wes was immediately fascinated by the black London taxi, so different to those yellow ones back in New York. When they pulled away, he looked worried, and leant over to Nick, to whisper urgently in his ear, "Daddy, the man is driving on the wrong side of the road!"
Jeff couldn't help himself and had to struggle to suppress the chuckle that he wanted to make as his husband tried to find the words to explain it. "He isn't here, son; in Britain, people drive on the left hand side of the road, and if a British boy or girl was in New York, they would say that we were driving on the wrong side of the road. Every country in the world is different, just like all people," said Nick.
"Well, I suppose… Just as long as everyone else knows to drive on the wrong side of the road too, then it is okay," mused Wes. He forgot all about it then on seeing a double decker bus on the other side of the road. That eventually prompted more questions, and they continued as the taxi headed into the centre of the city, keeping both his fathers and the cabbie amused. Before they had left the airport, Nick had asked the driver for an approximate time of arrival, so that they could make arrangements with the letting agent; his estimate had proved accurate, and they pulled up to see the letting agent waiting with the keys. The house was every bit as nice as it had appeared on line, and after the agent had shown them all the essentials on a quick tour, they were left alone to settle in. The items that they had sent ahead had arrived, and the two husbands began the unpacking process whilst they left their son in front of the television; the CBBC channel promised no nasty surprises.
They had sandwiches for lunch, made with the few basics that they had requested be in the house, but then it was time to head to the supermarket. Nick had done his research of course, and they walked a short way to board a bus to Earl's Court, where there was a large Tesco store; the journey was all the better as the seat at the front upstairs was empty, and Wes was able to enjoy the journey as much as his papa did in the seat next to him. Once in the supermarket, Nick did the calculations in his head as they picked up their needs, noticing how some items seemed much cheaper here than they were back home, particularly bread; most loaves sold for under $1.50, in sharp contrast to back home. The remainder of their first day was spent with finishing the unpacking, and cooking; after all, Nick had dinner to prepare and cookie tins to fill….
The next day saw Nick up early, as he had to travel to his new office to meet his colleagues, although after that he had the remainder of the week off. He left the house at just after 8am, and headed to South Kensington station, to squeeze onboard the busy Piccadilly line train, which took him straight to Holborn, the closest stop to his new office. The train was busy, but it was also sleek, modern and air-conditioned, in a total contrast to the aging system back home.
Jeff had an appointment too, as he and Wes were heading to meet the head teacher of Wes' new kindergarten. As he was escorting Wes there, Jeff was glad that he had read a little of A.A. Milne's classic tale to his son, as when he saw the sign outside of the school, Pooh Corner, he instantly made the connection. Jeff was immediately pleased with all that he saw inside the old church hall; it had every modern convenience, but was housed in a charming old building. The classes were small, and the curriculum looked excellent. Formal classes were currently not taking place, it being the summer break, but they had a holiday play scheme running daily. With Nick's backing, Jeff would happily bring him to that a couple of days a week, as that would let him meet some of his future classmates in advance. What also impressed him was the complete lack of reaction to the news that little Wes had two fathers; the head teacher told Jeff all about the informal parent's group too, as it would be a good way for them to meet the other parents. Jeff was not sure if Nick would wish to join, but as they met during the school day for coffee, it might be an idea for him…
Then it was Saturday, and the little family made a trip into central London, taking the tube to Green Park station, before strolling through the park of the same name, to eventually come to a place that the two former Warblers had seen before, albeit from a distance; the front of Buckingham Palace. The solemn statue like guardsmen in their bearskins left Wes staring in wonder, amazed that they could stand so still and unflinching in the face of all that was going on around them. Although all of the official events were past, they still saw the banners fluttering on the mall, proclaiming the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ascension to the throne
"It is hard to imagine someone being in the same job for so long. She has seen so much change in the world in that time; so many other figures on the world stage rise and fall. Trent tells me that she still writes to Michelle Obama, the bond that they formed the day they first met still so strong and stable. When she eventually dies, the United Kingdom will mourn her, but all of the world will grieve a symbol of continuity and decency," remarked Nick. Jeff nodded, but his own thoughts were rather distracted; he could not help wondering if the print of The Judging Angel her majesty owned was housed somewhere in the palace before them, or in another of her homes elsewhere…
After a visit to the Natural History Museum on Sunday, the new day to day routine began in earnest on Monday. Jeff was up in good time to see his husband off on his way to the tube for his first official day at the office, and then he and Wes stood and waved him goodbye from the front door. With Nick gone, Jeff now had the problem of finding things to fill the day with their son. He was not able to take any sort of job except on a voluntary basis; his visa stated that he was only permitted to be in the country as Nick's husband. He would still be allowed to do his usual illustration work and draw naturally, but that would only take up so much of the day. His own lack of things to do was of small concern to him now though; he had four weeks to fill until the kindergarten started officially, and he had to find things to occupy an enquiring three year old boy.
Not all of the museums would be of interest to Wes, nor would the art galleries; in any case, they would fill his father's time once school term began. Jeff therefore found himself resorting to searching the internet, and to his delight he found a solution not all that far away. Soon he and Wes were sat upstairs on a number 49 bus, taking the front seat for a journey to White City, and the large shopping mall there; they were not heading to the shops, but an attraction called Kidzania, which marketed itself as a city designed for children. Wes would be a little too young for some of the attractions, but there was more than enough there to keep him amused, as long as Jeff went with him. Given that the blond man was still a big kid at heart, he enjoyed himself as much as his son, and soon lost track of time. Had Wes not piped up that he was starving then they might well have remained there until the attraction closed. They had a late lunch at the huge food court in the centre, then took full advantage of the supermarket there to buy some essentials. This done, they headed home again on the bus, enjoying the view from the upper deck.
There was of course the summer play session at the kindergarten, and Nick had agreed to Jeff's suggestion that they send Wes there twice a week in the afternoon. On the first of those, Jeff arrived back in good time to collect his boy; as he waited, he was aware of the eyes of a group of woman focused upon him as they waited for their own children. No-one made conversation, but when Wes ran up to him and hugged him, he felt the scrutiny increase. Jeff said nothing about it to Nick that night when he arrived home, and Wes was of course oblivious to it, and spent the whole of dinner that evening telling his dad all about the activities that they had done, and the new children that he had met and made tentative friends with.
Once Wes was in bed, Nick and Jeff sat for a while and talked about their day. Nick was finding his new role just as challenging as his job in New York; indeed, it was possibly more challenging. Even though the worst of Brexit was long past, the shockwaves were still reverberating around the country. People still found themselves with problems to deal with as a consequence, and as was always the case, the usual norms of a civilised nation were not being adhered to 100%…
Two days later, Jeff arrived with Wes at the kindergarten to find that three of the woman that had been staring at him the other day where also in the process of dropping off their children; this time however, one of them approached him, and introduced herself. Jeff could tell from the off that she had been chosen to find out more information about him by the others, and so after introducing himself, he gave her a potted biography. The moment that he mentioned The Judging Angel, her face lit up, and she began to talk about how she had been in New York the previous year and saw it at the Met, and how moved she had been by it. The other mothers began to drift across, seeing how animated she was, and ten minutes later, Jeff found himself sat in a café, being interrogated by a bunch of mothers. He was just glad that he had made no plans for the afternoon….
The ice was well and truly broken that afternoon, and within a fortnight Jeff knew the names of several dozen mothers and their children. He had hosted a lot of them for coffee and cake one afternoon, the latter prepared by Nick the night before, who had managed to stifle his laughter at the idea of Jeff being the sole man in a group of Kensington mothers. The fact that Jeff had a husband made no difference to the ladies, and when he told them all why he and Nick had chosen Michelle to be mother to little Wes, there had been tears; they had been replaced by gasps when he told them who The Judging Angel was…
This then became the rhythm of their lives in the new city; during the week, Jeff was around the ladies, being invited on play dates with Wes to parties where he sketched with parental permission the children, much to the delight of their mothers; after all, they ended up with a genuine Sterling-Duval sketch in the house. At the weekend, they went out as a family, to places in the city and indeed further afield, making a daytrip to the seaside, and to Legoland in Windsor, a place that little Wes never wanted to leave. They kept in touch with those in New York and elsewhere by Skype. This included calls specifically to Caleb, although those broke Jeff's heart as his little friend miaowed at the screen, and even put a paw up in an attempt to touch him. As Jeff cried, Mike came on screen, and confirmed that Caleb was eating a hearty amount of food, taking the usual amount of sleep, and in general, barely seemed to be missing them at all…
Mike had then told them all about the wedding that had taken place that weekend, when Flint's cousin Leo had married his long term girlfriend. Both Nick and Jeff had been sorry to miss it, but according to Mike, everything had gone entirely to plan; even Mrs Wilson had kept her peace for once, and had not worn a hat which dominated proceedings on this occasion. It also meant that Ethan now had the apartment to himself once more. That did worry the two young men in London, as however much Ethan said he was looking forward to it, they still had their doubts about the situation…
Everything in London had been going well; too well perhaps. Then, on the day of the last play session before the new term began, Jeff was held up on his way to the kindergarten to collect Wes. He hurried in, making apologies, although none were necessary, then hurried back out again, with Wes' hand clutched in his own. In his haste, he did not look where he was going, and as a result, bumped straight into someone walking along the pavement, sending them both flying.
"Oh my, I am so sorry, I wasn't…" Jeff began, but his voice faltered and fell away as he got a proper look at them. His eyes widened, and his breath hitched, and then he blinked, just to make sure he wasn't imagining it. Then he uttered one word in an almost reverential tone….
"Drew!?"