A Shock in the Dressing Room
There would be a long queue waiting for admittance to the gallery the next day, and that it was there when Jeff arrived 40 minutes prior to opening shocked him. Of course, he was recognised, and he made time to sign the usual postcards of his first major work that people had obtained from the Met. He eventually managed to get in, to discover that the entire staff were huddled around the ticket desk, pouring over a copy of the New York Times. He smiled, and said, "We definitely got a good write up in there, and that explains the queue that is already building up outside."
"We most certainly did get a good write up," replied Ms Dorward, emerging from her office, and sending the staff scurrying. "The telephone has been ringing non-stop all morning, to the extent that I have taken it off the hook for five minutes for a break. It isn't just people enquiring about the show either; there have been other artists, asking me about my fees, and more importantly, asking if I have anyone lined up to follow you. Naturally, I have told them that there are a few interested parties, and I have yet to decide, which has given me three people desperate to do so, to the extent that there might be a bidding war to secure that spot. There have also been a number of journalists who wanted to know how they would go about securing an interview with your mother, but I have left that up to you, and just taken their names and numbers."
Before Jeff could respond, his mind wondering exactly how his mother would react to find out she was in demand with the press, Ms Dorward went on. "Of course, what they were all engrossed in in the newspaper was not your review at all, rather one that was written about a certain artist at a certain other gallery…"
She held the paper out to him, and Jeff took it and read. To his shame, the more he read, the wider his smile got, and then he burst out laughing…
"Yes, I did that too," said Ms Dorward. "I take it you just read the line about it being inartistic, trite garbage that looks as if it had been created in a fit by a barnyard animal?"
Jeff nodded, then said, "So much for the new wunderkind! I would almost feel sorry for all concerned, were it not for the fact that the article is illustrated, and judging from them, the reviewer would appear to have a very valid point…"
For most of the circle of friends, the excitement of the royal visit was now in the past. Thad found that he was fielding a lot of questions from his pupils about what they were like, and he answered honestly, before brusquely reminding them that they were in a history lesson. It was worse, if anything, in the staff room, as there he did not have the authority to give them lines…
At the Spotlight, Elliott decided that he needed to rearrange the image wall that held photos and drawings of their famous customers to accommodate the picture of the two Duchesses and a future King alongside him, Dani and Michelle, just as soon as the latter had managed to get the photo enlarged, printed and appropriately framed in something suitably regal…
Further uptown, the beauty hall at Bloomingdales was mobbed like it was a Black Friday sale, mainly by woman that wanted the same products that the two Duchesses had left with the previous day. On top of that, much to the shock of the department manager, women were calling up and offering ridiculous sums of money to have an appointment with Pam, many of them celebrities…
When she relayed that information to her son at lunchtime, he smiled and offered her his congratulations, but his mind was focused on the fact that there would be royalty in the audience at the theater that night. Mason's one night return meant that the director wanted a full rehearsal; it did however mean less work for Adam, returning to his initial role for the night, and only then because the current actor playing Robinson Ay had agreed to it.
As the Englishman watched Mason recreate his part from the wings, he suddenly felt a draught, and then to his consternation, another draught from a different angle. He sighed, wondering if the theater had always been so draughty, and he had just not noticed it before. It was all unsettling, and just what he didn't need, especially since he had started to hear voices as well….
The rehearsal judged to be a success, there was time for food before the performance, a meal brought in from one of the local Italian restaurants. As they all sat down together at the table, it was natural that Mason and Marley, such old friends, would end up talking together, catching up on all that had been happening in each other's lives. The pressures of a world of 8 shows a week made it hard for them to see each other very often, and it was indeed the case that Jane and Ryder saw more of each other…
They discussed Marley's upcoming wedding most, as it would be quite the reunion. Jake was coming to New York for the first time in a few years, asked to be Ryder's best man. His career had blossomed whilst based in Chicago in a way that it might not have done in New York, given that there was much more competition in the east coast city. Unique would be in town too, also for the first time in years; her career had grown massively since she had taken the plunge and taken her first gig onboard a cruise ship. Of course everyone knew who Marley's chief bridesmaid would be, although Kitty pointed out that the term was strictly incorrect given her marital status; however, she was not prepared to give up the title to the single Madison either. In her mind, in fact, Kitty styled herself as the best woman in any case, a much better title…
With the two of them caught up together, Adam found himself joined by Cooper, who was looking at him worriedly. "So, you seem a little down in the mouth. I know that it isn't great being moved to a smaller part because of Mason…" Cooper began, but he was swiftly cut short.
"I do feel a little down, but it isn't because of that, far from it. It is going to sound bizarre, but I feel that way because of all the draughts there seem to be in here right now. I do not recall the place being this draughty before, but today especially, it's full of them. Plus," Adam added, lowering his voice to a whisper, "I have started to hear voices…"
Cooper looked startled at that last revelation, but that was all a front to hide the shock and surprise he felt at what he knew was happening. He took a breath, then in an equally low voice, he replied. "Voices? What sort of voices? Not nasty ones in your head I hope…"
"No, nothing like that - well, I don't think it is like that… You will think I am going mad, but there is more than one voice. However, I would swear that one of the voices belongs to Kurt Hummel. It is just little snippets, but everything in my mind would say that it was definitely him… Do you think I am mad and need to see someone about it?"
Cooper sighed, then bringing his face closer to Adam, and lowering his voice still further, he whispered, "Some people would say that you should, but not me. I still hear my brother Blaine from time to time, usually asking me if I am completely out of my mind when I am about to do something that is a little stupid… I like to think that he and Kurt are still here, in the theatre, watching over us all…"
Adam looked shocked at the confession, but in his mind, it was a perfect thought… "I guess that much could be true; there were certainly angels in the theater watching over Marley that night…"
"Someone once told me that if we believe in angels, then they will be there to watch over us," said Cooper, before, seeing a colleague approach, he swiftly changed the subject. As he did so, he caught the eye of his brother as he stood on the other side of the room…
The show that night would be a huge success. The two Duchesses were brought in incognito, as requested, as they wished the focus of the audience to be on the show, not them. There were no mistakes, and the director would later say that in his opinion, all of the principals had given their finest performance in their role to date. Adam certainly believed that he had, and if he had heard that little voice telling him to do one thing differently that lead to the audience howling with laughter for much longer than usual, well it was all to the good.
After the show, when the curtain came down for the final time, they all stayed on the stage, as the royal party was on their way down. Hands were shaken, polite conversation made and then, much to Adam's delight, the Duchess of Cambridge asked him if he could reveal anything upcoming for the lives of Clive and Darren. Thrilled that she watched the show, he was still unable to reveal anything of course, other than to hint to her that the episode that would go out at Christmas was the one that everyone had been waiting for. The royal party then departed, and the cast prepared to leave, as they had to do it all again the next day…
As Adam returned to his dressing room, his phone began to ring, and a glance at the screen told him it was Lawrence. That filled his heart at once with dread, as he knew exactly why he would be calling, and it wasn't to confirm their late supper… Sure enough, it was a quick call to tell him their was a major emergency, and that he wouldn't be able to come over for supper, not knowing when he would be able to leave for home. Adam told him that he understood, and that he loved him; Lawrence responded in kind, and then he was gone, no time for lengthy chat…
Adam sighed when he was gone, and sunk into his chair. He had been looking forward to telling his boyfriend all about the royal visitors, before asking him what his plans were for Christmas. He found himself blinking back a couple of stray tears, then he reached for the make up remover, wondering if the angels really were looking out for him after all…
"We can't help it if you are going out with a trainee doctor and there is a big accident!" came an indignant voice.
Adam froze. It sounded so much like the Kurt Hummel he remembered, and well, if it was, then angels could hear his thoughts as well as his words…
"That was harsh!"
"Well, it is the truth, Blaine! We have no ability to stop accidents that will delay a doctor in getting home, and he needed to know that!"
Adam looked up then, the name giving him conformation that it was who he thought it was. It was then he saw something in the mirror; there were two figures standing right behind him…
Meanwhile, just along the corridor, Cooper was putting his coat on, already changed back into his normal clothes and ready to head for home. He had taken a little longer than usual that night to leave, as he had decided to head to the stage door after the royal meet and greet finished, knowing that there would be people there, anxious to have their playbill signed, and possibly more than usual as Mason had returned to portray Bert that evening. The moment that he opened the door, Cooper had been mobbed, barely able to explain that the rest of the cast were running behind, but would be with them all shortly. His signature had to be appended to so many playbills that night that when he was at last able to head back in, he bumped into Mason and Marley heading out.
"I would get your pens ready," Cooper said in only a partial joke. "It is a much bigger crowd than usual tonight, no doubt influenced by a certain man's return…" Marley laughed, and promptly dug into her purse to extract the old fashioned gold pen that she kept for exactly these sort of occasions, and watched as Mason pulled a silver pen of his own from his jacket's inside pocket….
As he left his dressing room, Cooper found that the backstage staff all appeared to have vanished, and he wondered if for the first time he was the last person to leave the theater. He was pulling the door handle to close the door fully when he felt the usual tell tale draught. "Coop, there is a problem; you need to go to Adam's dressing room at once," came his brother's voice. Turning, he saw that the angel looked worried. Seeing that, he hurried down the corridor to the room that was Adam's domain. As he did so, he wondered what on earth could have happened to warrant an angelic intervention. As always in such situations, his mind automatically focused on the worst case scenario. Nonetheless, he still knocked politely on the door before he flung it open….
As it happened, he stepped in just as Adam recovered enough from the dead faint that he had experienced to open his eyes. His brain felt so fuzzy and confused, as he knew that logically, what he thought he had seen could not possibly be true. He had seen Kurt Hummel reflected in his mirror as he stood behind him, looking no older than he had the last time that Adam had seen him, and by his side was the person that he had never met, but had felt he was competing against all the time he had been with Kurt, the one and only Blaine. That image had of course caused his brain to short circuit, and the last thing he recalled after that was his dressing table rushing up to meet his face, which was such a silly expression in reality, because it was the exact opposite of what was actually happening…
"Are you alright Adam? I came along to see if you were still here, but I never imagined that I would find you slumped over your dressing table! What on earth happened?"
Adam realised then that Cooper was in the room, and although he was touched by the older man's obvious concern, he said nothing yet, as he was too busy trying to work out exactly what his answer should be. On a hunch, he decided that he needed to tell somebody the truth, and who better to tell than the man that had lost the two people in question from his life in such a horrible way.
"I fainted, but if I tell you exactly why I did, I am scared that you will think that I am crazy…"
Cooper grinned, and said, "Look, I know Brittany Pierce-Lopez, so nothing strikes me as crazy, just eccentric. There is nothing really that you can come out with that can compete with some of the things she has come out with over the years, trust me!"
Adam snorted at that, then responded, "You know what we talked about before the show tonight, my hearing voices? Well, I heard them again tonight, but then, when I looked up and into the mirror, I saw that he was there, reflected. They were standing in this room. Large as life, I saw Kurt and your brother, the latter making a comment about something I thought, and your brother admonishing him! I need to find a shrink, a good one. You have to know somebody that can help me…"
Suddenly, Adam's voice faltered again. Cooper looked at him, and then looked where the other man was looking with wide eyes. He saw that the two angels had returned to the room…
Copper knew that he now had two courses of action. He could pretend that he did not see them, and allow Adam to rush off and spend a fortune on psychiatric help as he tried to cure himself of the visions he was seeing. That would not be hard, as God knows there were enough charlatans in New York that would be only too pleased to relieve Adam of his hard earned cash; the real life Oda Mae Browns that would tell him what he wanted to hear and fleece him. True, he might find a real shrink, but that would be a complete waste of his money, given that Cooper knew that his visions were real, and in no way fake…
He sighed, and said, "What is it Adam? Are you seeing them now, my brother and Kurt? I only ask because you have turned such a pale colour that there has to be something scaring you…"
"I am, but I know that they can't possibly be there! How can they be? They are dead!"
"So you do not believe in angels then?"
"I do, and I like the notion that they are up there like Jeff's drawing of Wes, watching over us, and possessing wings, but that's…" Once more Adam's voice failed him, his eyes widening as in the mirror he saw, just as Cooper could see too, that the two angels had now unfurled their wings.
"I certainly believe in angels now - never used to, but then, on a Thanksgiving like no other, I saw something right in front of me that defied all other rational explanation," said Cooper quietly, in a soothing tone. "That night, I saw my little brother, who had died that summer, marry the love of his life, who had passed just a few days before him, as Kurt's step-brother, also dead, watched. The whole ceremony was conducted by Kurt's mother Elizabeth…"
Cooper paused, aware that Adam was now staring at him open mouthed. With just a hint of a grin on his face, the older man said, "Oh, and Blaine's wings happen to be made up of curled dark brown feathers…" He paused, watching as Adam's eyes no widened as much as his mouth was open. "Of course, when I say dark brown, they're kind of a hazel colour really, the same as his eyes. As for Kurt, well his feathers are ivory coloured. We all wondered exactly why they were until we suddenly recalled the nickname that Sue Sylvester had for him in high school - Porcelain. Old porcelain china is not pure white, more ivory toned. That might be the reason, it might not, but it does sound plausible, doesn't it?"
Adam continued to just stare at Cooper, and the silence lengthened until the latter spoke again. "So yeah, maybe you just banged your head really hard when you fainted, and all of this is just a dream. You're lying out cold in your dressing room, and hopefully one of the cleaners will soon come in, find you, and revive you…"
"I'd try pinching yourself though to see if it wakes you up," said Kurt with a grin. "Of course, if you do that, and this is still happening, then it all has to be real and true…"
"Or I have really lost it and need a break in an asylum," replied Adam. "Or the theater blew up, and I'm actually dead, and this is actually heaven…"
Cooper smiled, and said, "Well, it's possible, although it would mean that I was dead too…"
Adam closed his eyes, and pinched his arm hard; then he opened his eyes just a crack, before hurriedly shutting them again and pinching himself again twice. He opened his eyes again, and saw that nothing had altered…
"Don't ask me how you can suddenly see angels, because I have no idea, but you are also not the first person I now that this has happened to, and who has experienced this moment. For a lot of the Warblers, this moment only came after Wes had passed away, who posed for that picture in person incidentally. He stood there in a cupboard at the Columbia art school for Jeff just as he is drawn; his wings really are the colours drawn. We think it might be down to having a close connection with one of the angels, and an open, receptive heart and mind. All of the draughts you have been feeling come from their wings by the way; ask Beats about his experience with those draughts, because he and Flint were a little late to the party, as it were, and he was plagued with draughts for months. As for why you have suddenly started to see them now, well, didn't you think the night Marley took unwell that the…"
Adam interrupted Cooper then, and finished his sentence, with the words, "…angels were with us that night. And now I can clearly see that they really were…"
Kurt let his wings fold away then, and came over to sit on the edge of the dressing table. "We are always around, keeping half an eye on all of the people that we care for, and the people that they care for too. We don't follow you around all the time though, as we have work to do. There are souls to collect when their time on earth is over, and then we have to help them settle in, teach them how to use and care for their wings…"
"Wes is kind of our immediate boss," said Blaine, coming to sit on the other side of the table. "It was Kurt's mom at first, and Wes just assisted her. Then she was promoted and he took over from her. At the moment, Seth is his assistant, until a more permanent one arrives…."
"So it isn't all white fluffy clouds, flowing robes and harp playing then?" asked Adam, before he could stop himself.
"No, far from it," replied Kurt with a smile. "As for halos, well we only wear them on special occasions. In all honesty, being in heaven is like being in an office, but through the doors on the corridors there are whole cities. There is a New York up there, and we have an apartment in a heavenly version of Chelsea, but we have two doors in that apartment that lead to Dalton and McKinley High respectively. You get to design your own space…"
"So I could have a door to New York on one side, and one into my parents' house back in England on the other?"
"When your time comes, then yes, you most certainly could," answered Kurt. "However, that moment is a long time off; you have so much of your life still to live, Adam Crawford."
Adam nodded, then asked, "Is this a one off? Will I see you again?"
"You will, but not all of the time. If you need us though, we can usually be around pretty swiftly. Now, we actually need to be somewhere else, but I am sure that Cooper will be able to answer most of your other questions…"
Then, just like that, the two angels vanished, which left Adam to stare at Cooper. He smiled, and said, "It is a lot to take in at once, and I get how overwhelmed you are feeling. However, there is one thing that they did not mention that actually makes it all the more interesting, in my opinion at least. You will actually start to see other angels all the time as well, because they are all around us. At first, I will admit, that is a little bit disconcerting. You will feel like that kid in the film that can see dead people, but it does mean that you don't accidentally walk through them, as the rest of the world is liable to do…"
"You mean that I've been…that's terrible!"
"But not intentional, and most angels know when to dive aside," reassured Cooper. "It is actually quite something in here by the way, because if you study those old posters and playbills in the foyer and bar, you will actually realise that a lot of those famous faces and names can still be seen and heard around here. You just need to look and listen…" Adam looked stunned again, but Cooper suddenly noticed the time. "Right, you and I need to get out of here before they send out search parties. Get the rest of that make-up off, and get changed out of your costume. Now, it is one of your sitcom days tomorrow, isn't it?"
"Yeah, we have a script read through over at the studios in the morning."
"I will call Sam then, let him know that you are now a member of our club. He can actually tell you so much more than I can; you see, he started to see angels long before the rest of us…"
Adam would wake up the following morning wondering if all of the events of the last few days had been a particularly vivid dream. He had shaken the hand of the man that would one day be the monarch of the country he still thought of as home, and that of his wife, and they had talked to him as if they had known him all their lives. He knew that the photograph of himself flanked by the Duke and Duchess that Isabelle had sent to him, and he had then forwarded to his parents would be shown to every visitor to their home, and of course, mentioned to a certain relative who had scoffed all those years ago at his acting ambitions…
To then have gone on to be part of what was almost a command performance - given that Mason had been called back, his understudy taking over in his current show - was another big life event. That he could share with all his friends and family, but what had then happened after the show, well that could not be shared on Facebook with the world. He recalled the text he had found on his phone when he arrived home the previous night from Cooper - Lawrence does NOT see them. That would have been cryptic to most, but he knew what it meant; he could not confide in his boyfriend about his ability to see angels…
He sighed as he climbed out of his bed and headed for the kitchen. He was a little startled to discover that the kettle was boiling, and the teapot was waiting. He wondered for a moment if his boyfriend had come over and let himself in as a surprise, but then he saw that he had an angelic visitor…
"I just wanted to check that you were feeling okay," said Kurt, lifting the boiling kettle and pouring a little water into the pot, swilling it around for a moment before pouring it back out.
"You remembered to warm the pot," said Adam fondly, which made the angel smile. Then, the mortal man started. "Wait, how can you be doing that? I thought that angels were ethereal beings?"
Kurt realised his error, and replied, "Well, yes and no. You can't touch me, or vice versa, but I can touch objects. Now, sit back and relax whilst I make you some toast…"
Adam enjoyed being waited on that morning, although Kurt told him it was a definite one off, and equally savoured the chat that they had had about the angelic life over a shared cuppa. Kurt had concluded that his old friend would be curious about how he spent his days, and he also had time to explain just how all of the events that had lead to this moment had come about.
Adam sighed, and said sadly, "I wish that I had known about all of this sooner. Not being around when all of those terrible things happened is still one of my greatest regrets. We might not have parted on the best of terms, but I hate the fact that I could not show everyone else that I cared for you."
"It's okay," Kurt replied. "In retrospect, it is a probably a good thing that you weren't about, given Blaine's state of mind at the time. He attacked so many of our mutual friends, even Santana, and well, you would have been a massive red rag, make no mistake about that! You might also have been putting yourself in danger. Hunter was still at liberty at that point in time, and he might have seen you as a target too because you were a close friend of mine."
"I still struggle with the fact that all of this happened because he and the Warblers lost out in a show choir competition," admitted Adam.
He was stunned when Kurt started to laugh at that, but then the angel said, "I'm sorry, but you have met Rachel Berry… Hunter was just one level up from her in the 'need to win' stakes. Do I regret dying when I did? Yes, I missed out on being a father, but I got my mom back, whilst still getting to see my dad and Carole happy together. Yes, I might never have seen my name in lights on a Broadway marquee, but I do get to see every show on the Great White Way for free. In any case, who is to say that my name ever would have been up there? Then we can't forget that had Blaine and I lived, it is highly unlikely that either Cooper or Sebastian would have made their careers on the stage here, and the world would have missed out. There was a plan, and whilst it sucked, I do get to stay young for all of eternity. One day, you will be coming to join us, and when you do, you will be back to being the age that we were when we were both Apples. It's a long way off, but it is something to look forward to…"
They would chat almost too long. Adam suddenly noticed the time, and he had to rush to make the subway to the studio for the read through. Part of that though was due to the fact that he had desired to see Kurt fly, and it had been hard to achieve in his little apartment. He raced down the stairs to the platform at the station, and literally dived through the doors as they closed. The carriage was empty apart from two young women in very eighties outfits. They did not seem to notice him as he took a seat, but when he glanced back in their direction, they had vanished into thin air…
"Angels!" he gasped, then chuckled. Yes, it was strange, but in a way it was like having a secret power. He was privy to a world that few of his fellow human beings were now. He changed trains at Union Square, and whilst there he saw a twenties flapper girl, a young man in a sailor's uniform, complete with bell bottom trousers, and an elderly nun, shaking her head in sadness and disbelief at the skimpy outfits of two young women nearby.
The first two had just vanished as he turned away and then looked back, but the nun did not. She walked by him, muttering about harlots and jezebels, and before Adam could stop himself, he said, "I quite agree, Sister." She stopped, smiled at him, and then melted away right before his very eyes…
That did make him freak a little, but nobody around him noticed, even though he was on the crowded platform of the Lexington Avenue Subway line. As soon as he boarded the train, he pulled out his script, as reading it would keep him occupied. He needed to chat to someone about what he was seeing, and that meant Sam, who he realised was about to become an even closer friend….
Sam would indeed be able to assist Adam with the new reality in his life, and of course, prepare him for the moment that would inevitably come when he met Wes for the first time. "He will make an appearance, that much i can guarantee you," Sam said in hushed tones, "because he is never far away. As all of this is new to you, a visit from him is all the more likely. You will probably meet Seth again too, and then there is Finn, although he is usually very busy with his work. He is one of the most respected collectors in the heavenly realm apparently, with a talent for it that nobody quite expected."
"I have no issue with Seth or Finn, but I have to admit that it will be a little strange to meet a man that I have seen in a drawing for the last few years and heard so much about. I have to admit that he looks a little stern..."
"Wes can be when he needs to be; I mean, he had to control the Warblers, and well, you've met them all! They can be quite a handful when they are together now, and as teenagers they were much worse, so i have been told. Deep down though, he is a bit of a sweetheart, and he melts every time for Thad. Their wedding was one of the greatest and yet most bizarre days of my life so far, especially as Ollie cannot normally see angels and thought all of it was just a vivid dream..."
Sam stopped, as he realised that he had just managed to blow Adam's mind a little more with that revelation, but it was much too late to untell the story, so he sat the older man down and told him everything that had lead up to that moment and what took place that day...
How they managed to actually get through work that day was nothing short of a miracle, but if Adam did seem a little distracted, then nobody noticed. The things that Sam would tell him that day would be the first of many stories that he would hear by the time that the week came to an end, as other people sought him out to pass on their experiences. That coincided with his meeting with Wes, and he instantly realised why he was held in such reverence and respect by all that knew him...