New Year, New Futures.
Although Nick refused to leave Ohio there and then, he did make one concession to his husband, and rebooked them onto an earlier flight the following day. This was a move that had Grace shaking her head just a little, although she could understand why they would now be leaving four hours earlier than originally planned. She had almost suspected that he would be calling for a rental car as it was. She had offered to have Wes travel with her, but her brother had not agreed to that, knowing that he would need to be told about Caleb's issue in any case. He knew that his son would not appreciate the early start, but that gave him an opening if nothing else. He let the silence endure in the cab to the airport and through both check in and security, but once they were in the departure lounge, he sat his son down and told him.
"That is why papa is sad, and so much quieter than usual," the boy answered sagely. "I thought that there was something wrong as he didn't eat so many Christmas cookies last night as he normally would. Will Caleb be okay?"
"Yes, now that Tina has taken out the bad tooth, he should be fine," replied Nick.
"Did she leave his tooth out for the tooth fairy?"
"I don't think so; in fact there isn't really a tooth fairy for our feline friends, as they don't use money like us," responded Nick.
"They should leave a bag of cat treats or a toy instead then," mused Wes. "Of course, aunt Tina will know for certain whether there is one for cats or not, so I will ask her when we get home."
Nick nodded, whilst making a mental note to buy cat treats and a toy for their pet just to be on the safe side.
He refused however to take a cab from the airport back to the West Village, which lead to a very tense subway journey back to 14th Street. As soon as they emerged from the station, Jeff was in a hurry, and in the end, Nick and Wes were left alone to walk slowly as the blond sprinted off along the road in front of them. Wes then decided that they should stop off at the drugstore to buy Caleb a treat and Nick agreed. He wasn't sure quite how pleased Caleb would be with a tin of tuna that Wes selected however. It did let him pick up a packet of lobster flavoured cat treats with the soft centres that he knew the animal loved.
By the time that they reached the house, Jeff had been back for at least 15 minutes. They were told this by Mike, who was waiting in the hallway to greet them. Wes went downstairs at once, but his father stopped and looked expectantly at Mike. "He ended up sleeping through most of the day yesterday and was still a little groggy this morning, but he has picked up again now. Admittedly, he is now giving me a little bit of the stink eye, knowing that I was a big part of everything yesterday. My advice would be to not go anywhere near him with a towel for the next few weeks; Cooper approached him with a tea towel yesterday and he ended up hiding under the sofa… When he saw Jeff, he moved faster than he has done for a long time and was then miaowing away like nobody's business, probably trying to tell him what we all did to him whilst he was away."
"Okay, I will remember that," replied Nick. "One quick question however; is the tooth still around? I know it is a strange question, but a certain someone was asking all about tooth fairies for cats…"
"Tina took it home and she will dispose of it properly at work, so you will not need to give Caleb the going rate," responded Mike with a smile. He then headed out, having only been present to check that Caleb was alright and mightily surprised when he heard the door upstairs open, immediately followed by the sound of running feet as his blond friend raced downstairs, not expecting him to be home for a few hours. Nick smile to himself just a little, glad that he would not have to shell out for a non-existent furry feline fairy to placate his husband and son. He placed his bag neatly in one corner by the foot of the stairs and moved Jeff's from where it had been thrown to a less awkward spot.
That done, he headed down to the kitchen, to find his husband sat on the sofa, cradling his pet, who was purring contentedly as their son gently stroked the tortoiseshell's head. "Well, he looks to have suffered no lasting damage from his impromptu dental work," said Nick with a grin. He took the packet of cat treats out of his pocket and opened them as quietly as he could, then chuckled as Caleb's head immediately spun round to look in his direction. "His hearing is still as good as ever it would appear - still able to detect an opening bag of cat treats at a very long distance."
"He seems okay, but I think that he will be needing to take it easy for the rest of the year," replied Jeff, as Nick approached with one of the aforementioned treats in his hand, which was eagerly taken from him in the blink of an eye. Nick rolled his eyes at that, wondering how much easier Caleb could take it, when his most hectic days seemed to comprise solely of long spells of sleeping, interspersed with regular meals, but he knew better than to say anything. After all, given that option, who amongst us would not choose the simple way of living that their cat enjoyed?
And then the year was over, 2026 ending in the normal way, with displays of fireworks around the world, and best wishes given to all mankind. Commitments were made to be better people, but as ever, many of those promises would be abandoned before the sun even rose the next morning. Those in the West Village marked the moment quietly, the lure of Times Square no longer an attractive one for those seasoned city residents.
At the theatre, Adam found time to call his family back in England before he was called onto the stage, and he found that his mother was still thrilled by the fact that he would be back home in less than a week. His call was a brief one, and no sooner had he ended the call than he was off to the stage to be ready to open the show, in the knowledge that they now only had five more performances to give before Edwardian London would be swept away to be replaced by the Austria of the late 1930s…
Back in the West Village at about that same time, Nick made a call to Miss Frobisher, who was always so pleased to hear from them. She shared with them a little snippet of news that had surprised many people in the United Kingdom when it had been mentioned in passing on the last BBC news bulletin of the year. The fact in question was that Her Majesty the Queen had left Sandringham, where she normally spent the festive period, and had headed instead for Balmoral. This was completely out of the usual routine, as the Scottish castle was not usually in use in the colder months of the year.
"The media here is starting to fill up with the news, as they are concerned that a centenarian should be relocating to one of the coldest places in the country during winter, but they have always said that Balmoral is the place that she feels freest in."
Nick thought for a moment, and then replied, "Jeff told me once that the Duchess had said as much to him as well. From what I can gather, she will have roaring log fires there to keep her warm, along with a loving and attentive staff on hand that will look after her and make sure she is safe and well. As for it not being part of the usual royal routine, well we all need a change every now and then from the norm. I mean, she must have spent the festive season at Sandringham more or less every year for the last eight decades…"
In London, Abagail Frobisher found herself laughing at that, as it was indeed true; she had spent Christmas in her Kingdom, at the house in Norfolk, every year since she had become the nation's monarch, bar 1953, when she had been in New Zealand. "You are right; I know of only one year when she didn't, and that was the year of her coronation, when she was in New Zealand. It also meant that she did her Christmas Speech from there…"
The following day, the first of the new year, Jeff would receive a phone call from the Duchess of Cambridge, to both wish him and his family a Happy New Year, and to pass on the reactions of Her Majesty and the rest of the family to the Christmas gift that her husband had purchased at Jeff's exhibition…
"She knew that it was a picture even before she had unwrapped a single inch of Christmas paper, and moreover, she knew that it would be one of yours. She asked me to say that you have captured Sebastian exactly as she recalls him being on the stage at the National Theatre."
"I am just honoured that another of my drawings has made its way into the Royal Collection. I would never have expected such things when I started at Art School."
"Well, the drawing has gone with her to Balmoral. Her decision to go there at this time of year took everyone by surprise…" replied the Duchess. She paused then, and Jeff realised that there was a certain tone in her voice that had him wondering if there was something going on, a reason for her move that the family did not wish to disclose. Had it been any other of his friends, then he might have subtlety questioned them to see what was going on, what was wrong, but in this case, he did not.
Their conversation then moved on to their respective plans for the year ahead, and listening to the Duchess made Jeff realise just how much freedom he had in his own life when compared to her. She and William would be heading off for a string of visits to Commonwealth nations in East Africa in a little over three weeks, and then it would be back for a whole diary of engagements week in, week out. In between all of that, they had to fit in time to be decent parents to their children. Had it been his life, Jeff would have been exhausted, but fortunately, it wasn't. They ended their call with a promise to talk again in the near future…
In Ohio, Thad would spend the first day of the new year confined to his bed. He had attended a small gathering at Sebastian's home the night before, the other guests being a mixture of Sebastian and Dave's friends. Thad might have overindulged a little on the party food. He had taken one of the spicy nibbles in error and had enjoyed it. It had been so long since he had consumed anything with a kick. His stomach had been settled for so long that he did not imagine that one night of giving in to his taste buds would hurt…
The stomach pains at 5am had persuaded him otherwise and after he had crawled to the medicine chest for antacids, he had retreated back to bed with his lesson plans for February to update, along with a pile of essays that needed marked, although his marking might well have been influenced by the stabbing pains in his stomach. He felt a little better by lunchtime, when he ate some saltines, washed down with a herbal tea.
As he lay back down afterwards, he felt a draught and then the pressure of someone sitting on his bed. "I'd have been here sooner, but it has been every bit as hectic as normal. I'll come straight to the point, I'm worried about you…."
"It was entirely self-inflicted, Wessie. I know that spicy food makes my stomach feel bad now, but I was silly and thought that because I had not had any trouble for a long time, I'd be fine…"
"Yes, I understand why you would assume that, but all it reminds me of is a certain someone that thought he would be okay with a slice of fresh crusty bread with butter," replied Wes quietly. "I wish that you would go and see a doctor, get properly checked out…"
"Why would I go and see a doctor, Wes, just to be told what I already know – avoid spicy foods! I know what the issue is, and the only thing that I need to find is a little more willpower…"
Wes sighed, because he was greatly concerned that the spicy food was not the actual cause of his husband's troubles; it was something that was exacerbating the real issue, something that was seething away inside the man that he loved, and that would one day explode with force and hurt him. He was powerless to intervene though; Thad was stubborn on such issues, and would not be swayed from his position, not even by puppy dog eyes and cajoling. All that he could do was hope that it was just what his husband surmised was the problem…
"I know what you are thinking, Wessie, and you're right; not even you can alter my position on this one. I promise though that if the pain does start to bother me all the time, not just when I have eaten spicy food, then I will be straight down to the doctor's office for an in depth check up. Until then, I will not have more than my usual physical each year."
"I'm only worried because I love you so very much, and I would never want to witness you in pain. I feel it, you know, when you are suffering. Our marriage bond is much stronger than most because I was an angel when we tied the knot…"
"Well, that gives me all the more reason to resist temptation, as I would never want to knowingly do anything that would cause you pain either. I hereby state than I have consumed my last morsel of spicy food ever. No more chillies. Moderation in all things," replied Thad, and then he patted the mattress at his side. "So, have you got time for us to snuggle for a while? I know that you said you were really busy, but I think that the two of us just sitting together quietly for a while, in silence, would help me feel better…"
"Of course I have time for that, my little one, just as you and I have all of eternity together to look forward to," Wes responded. He sat beside Thad and pulled him in close to his side, so that his head rested on his chest. Looking down, he did not see the sprinkling of grey hairs, or the wrinkles that had now started to appear on his face; to him, Thad would always be the boy that had sat on his left hand at the Warblers council table…
A couple of days later, Thad found himself heading into Manhattan on the subway. His flight from Ohio had run a little late that day, there having been a blizzard in Columbus when the plane was scheduled to leave Ohio. For once he had two bags with him, one of which was full of belated Christmas gifts for his brother, sister-in-law and little Thaddeus. He was not exactly looking forward to the day ahead. He loved them all so much, especially his 'nephew', but as the boy grew older, it was becoming harder to see him and not have his heart ache for the fact that the child did not call him dad. He still did not regret his choice to give his brother a child, as it had left Ollie more content with his life, and Michelle glowing with all of the joys of being a mother…
The latter knew of his pain, could see it etched on his face, but his brother was oblivious to it. The clinical upbringing that their doctor parents had provided for them, followed by the years of medical training that his older brother had undertaken, had left the older man colder and more aloof than he should have been. The emotional triggers that he should have had and been able to see in others were absent. It was true that Michelle had helped to bring some of them back out, as had the presence of his 'son', but he still was clueless on so much, and certainly wasn't likely to witness the angelic world around him any time soon.
Little Thad, on the other hand, most certainly could. Maybe one day, Ollie would have a revelation, and witness what his wife and boy did; realise that the wedding he felt he had dreamed at Dalton on his brother's thirtieth birthday weekend had actually been real. However, the problem there was that such a realisation might be accompanied by one in which he finally saw the pain that his little brother felt over his child…
The moment that the door opened at his brother's apartment, Thad found himself being pulled into a tight hug, which was a shock, as Ollie was not normally quite so demonstrative of his love for his sibling. "It is so good to see you, little bro! I can see that you look surprised at my actions, and I don't blame you; as a family, we are not known for such shows of affection, but Michelle is teaching me to be better, just as Wes and the rest of the Warblers taught you. I am going to be honest with you as to the reason for this display today. I have been made to realise just how hard it is for you to come here and see your namesake…"
Thad was startled at that news, and was glad when his brother guided him in, motioned to him to leave his bags in the hall, and then saw him into his little study. He sat him down, then took a seat himself. Taking a breath, Ollie continued. "The truth is that I was more than a little upset that you decided that you would not come and be with us at Christmas. I was having a stressful time at work too, and well, I lost my temper and might have snapped at Michelle about the issue. She was shocked, and well, I think that is why she let slip the real reason that you didn't wish to come… She feels so guilty about doing that, by the way…"
Thad bowed his head, and spoke rapidly. "I am so sorry. I never imagined in a million years when I offered to help you out that this would come to be an issue…"
"It's okay, I completely understand. I think that if the boot had been on the other foot, then I would have been exactly the same."
"I would never take him away from you, or tell him the truth, because what we have as brothers is every bit as important as me…"
"And me too. Now that I know, that I can understand, I can maybe do things to help. If the holidays are the hardest time, then we can celebrate those days outwith the main period, once all of those family themes that abound are further away…"
"That's a lovely idea, but the issue with that is that everyone around us would start to wonder why, as would a certain boy… We just need to be adults over it, for the sake of the two people that we love the most; little Thad and Michelle…"
Ollie nodded, and then hugged his brother again. "With that in mind, we'd best get you in there so that they can enjoy your company. Our boy has been desperate to see you, but I have a feeling that the prospect of presents might have had a little to do with that as well…"
Thad laughed at that, although he realised that when he had been the same age, he had always regarded visiting family as dull, unless there happened to be a gift for him involved. If his older brother recalled that, then he did not say anything. They left the study, retrieved Thad's bags and headed for the living room, where Thad immediately found a small boy wrapped around his legs; a small boy with a broad smile on his face as he hugged his uncle tightly.
Michelle giggled, and said to her son, "If you let go for a moment, then Uncle Thad can kneel down and you can hug him properly…"
There was a brief moment when nothing changed, and then Thad found his legs released. He got down as his sister-in-law had suggested and found himself pulled into a bear hug almost at once. Up close, the boy looked even more like Thad did in the photos that had once graced the family album, an almost mirror image of the child that he had once been himself. He closed his eyes as he felt his heart begin to ache at that thought and was relieved when he heard his brother speak.
"I think that you have had a long enough hug with your uncle now – you need to let your mom have a chance to hug him as well."
"But daddy…"
"If you don't let your uncle get up, then how can he get to his bag to give you your presents, assuming that he has some to give you, of course?" Ollie said in reply to his son. Thad found that he was almost instantly freed, and he was able to get back up, albeit slowly.
"My knees are getting like that too," chuckled Michelle as she came over and pulled him into a hug. She came in close to him, and then whispered in his ear, "I'm so sorry that I let slip, but in the end, no harm has been done, and maybe life will be easier now for all of us…"
Thad nodded, and then he let her go, knowing that he had a much more urgent task to deal with, namely the distribution of those additional Christmas gifts that he had added to those that he had already sent in the mail.
Across town, the final performance of Mary Poppins was well under way, the 3pm start time of the one Sunday show a great benefit. The final time had come for Cooper to act out the man that changed from a strict disciplinarian into the more fun-loving family focused version of himself, albeit disheveled and clutching a kite as if it were a lifeline. As he sung with Adam's Bert about having dreams, they were both now able to see that Kurt and Blaine were up there in the Gods watching, which made the Englishman want to grin and laugh out loud at his good fortune…
A few minutes later and the climax of the show was upon them, as for the final time Marley 'flew' over the heads of the audience as she took her leave from the now much happier Banks family. She felt her eyes growing moist as the people below her applauded and cheered louder than ever, but then she blinked them away and channeled her happiest thoughts, namely that this time tomorrow she would be Ryder's wife, their relationship confirmed in legality for all to see…
The fact that she would be able to wear her wedding ring the entire time as she performed in The Sound of Music was another thing that made her happy. She had spoken to the director, and he had agreed with her that Maria, even as just as novice nun, would be a 'bride' of Christ, so having a simple wedding band on her finger would not be a major issue.
Secretly, Ryder was just as pleased about that fact, not that it really mattered all that much to him in. He did not need to have a ring adorn his Marley's finger all the time to show everyone that she was married; he trusted her, just as she trusted him. There was no risk of cheating on either side. He watched her proudly as she flew for that final time from a spot in the aisle, knowing that he would not see her at home that night. Old traditions were important to both of them, and so he had his bag with him; he would be spending the night with Mason and Jane…
The curtain took a long time to finally fall that day. There was a standing ovation even before they did the reprise song that closed out the show, and another one after it. They would do three curtain calls in the end, and only stopped because they had a post show gathering planned at Sardi's. Obviously, Marley would be leaving early as she had other places to be. For some, there were dressing rooms to pack up for the final time, but that did not apply to Cooper and Marley, who could leave a few personal effects in place, given that they would be back in the theatre in a few weeks and would be using the same dressing rooms.
They made their way through the stage door, signing autographs and posing for selfies. Suddenly Ryder was at his soon to be wife's side, which made the crowd even happier. He took her hand and then escorted her, with Cooper at their side, to that famous Broadway restaurant which rang with joy and laughter as they stepped in. A great show was made of presenting Marley with a gift from the children that had played her charges throughout the show. That gift was a copy of the umbrella that her character had possessed and that made the whole room smile. It also meant the world to Marley, whose life had been turned upon its head by the taking of the role. As the singer with the radio orchestra, her fame had been limited to those that still tuned in to listen to those nostalgic shows. Now she was a star known to the world and her forthcoming incarnation as Maria would build on that. However, before embarking on that role, she had a much more important one to take; that of being a wife…