All Jeff wants for Christmas... Part I
The period immediately after the election was busy for everyone; it was after all fast approaching the holiday season. Thanksgiving came and went in a flurry of activity. For those in New York, work and other commitments meant that there was no time to head home, so they found themselves gathered together on the day itself. Nick had volunteered himself and Jeff to host their celebration, and the big house was soon filled with the sound of laughter as they all came together to mark the big day. Of course, Nick had been tied up in the kitchen from first thing that morning, roasting meat and preparing the side dishes; he had prepared the desserts the night before so that he could relax a little during the big meal itself. The day went off without a hitch, and everyone enjoyed themselves, with one exception…
Jeff loved all of his friends, he really did, but thanks to them, his husband was busy all day, and had even been out of bed before he had woken up that day, which meant that the holiday morning snuggles he had been hoping for had not taken place. That did not put Jeff in a good place for the rest of the day, not that he showed it, at least at first. It was only at the end of the day, when people were being slow to take the not so subtle hints he was dropping and leave that the mask slipped a little. When Sebastian jokingly asked "Are you trying to get us all to leave, blondie?" he was startled to find that his reply was Jeff nodding his head rapidly. Worse still, after they had all finally gone, Jeff had offered to tidy up a little to let Nick take a break; that done, he had headed up to their room to find that his husband was in a deep sleep…
Next morning, it was immediately apparent to everyone that Jeff was in a mood; Caleb was ignored, and Mike decided he would rather go to the City Ballet and get in some practice that stay home and be grunted at whenever he opened his mouth. Once he had left, Nick immediately turned to his husband. "Okay, Jeffie, what's up? You are like a bear with a sore head this morning! If that wasn't bad enough, you have just been downright rude to poor Mike, and I will expect you to apologise to him later."
"I know Nicky, and I will apologise to him, but it's just… Yesterday was fun, but a big part of me wishes it had just been you and me. I hardly saw you all day, and when you weren't slaving away in the kitchen, someone else was monopolising your time! I didn't feel thankful for too much yesterday…" Jeff replied.
Nick sighed, and responded "Well, I guess it would have been nice to have more time together yesterday, but what could we have done?"
"Not allowed them all to rope us into it in the first place!" whispered Jeff. "Yes, we have the biggest house, and yes, you're the best cook, but they could all have gone to the diner and had a celebration there! It will end up being the same at Christmas, just you wait and see! Don't get me wrong, I have no objection to Mike being here; this is his home too after all, but I wish, just once, that it could just be the two of us…"
Nick nodded. "Well, I think that Mike has plans with Tina this Christmas, so he will not be here; so, if what you want is just the two of us for Christmas, then that is what we will do. No guests, just us two. A day filled with snuggles and presents, and a lot of us time."
"That is exactly what I want, Nicky! All of those waifs and strays can just go to the Spotlight this year instead," replied a happier Jeff, who pulled Nick into a deep hug. With that promise made, he was sure that this was going to be the best Christmas ever…
As the day grew closer, it began to emerge that getting Jeff what he wanted would be a lot easier than they had originally anticipated. Mike did indeed have plans for the day; he and Tina would be spending the holidays at her aunt's place in Pennsylvania, as would her parents. His parents had been invited to join them, and had accepted much to Mike's shock. Next door, Luke and Duncan would be heading up to Vermont, as they might have expected, but Seth had been invited to join them, once he revealed that his plans for Christmas would be dinner for one at the Spotlight.
Skylar would be heading home to Ohio, as would Colin and Edward, although the latter had ended up having a lengthy and at times heated discussion about whose home they would actually be spending the big day. Skylar had been at home at the time, and would later confess to Seth that he didn't know which had been worse; the argument, or the making up afterwards…
Elliott and Beats would be hosting a party of their own, to celebrate their first Christmas as a proper couple, and the first family one for Elliott in a long time. As for Flint, he had been invited to join Izzy and her parents for a 'Christmukka' party in Baltimore, and he had agreed. He had nearly backed out again when Izzy revealed that her parents had invited his to join them, and his mother had accepted. Izzy couldn't see for the life of her what the problem was, but Flint knew how his mother could behave at other people's homes…
Artie would be spending the day with Kitty, Marley and Ryder, as none of them had the time to head home this year. Sebastian and Dave had time to celebrate as a couple this year, as Dave was not playing a game, but had made plans to head over to New Jersey to spend the day with Julian and Isabelle. Sebastian was hopeful that his brother might produce a ring, as it was about time that the two of them made their unofficial relationship official.
Upstairs, Grace had decided that she would host a family Christmas lunch for the first time. She had invited her brother and Jeff, naturally, but Nick had declined politely on their behalf, and when he gave her his reasons, she understood why. With both Mason and Roderick, Pam, her mother and her grandparents all due to be there, the house would be pretty full, and if she was really being honest with herself, she had invited her brother partly so he might help her out in the kitchen if she struggled. As her family were arriving two nights before the big day, Nick had invited them to drinks on Christmas Eve, and if she was overwhelmed on the big day, then her mother and grandmother could be called upon.
Rachel was heading, with Sam, to Ohio, where they would spend the day with her dads; Brittany and Santana were happy about this, as they had their own plans for a just the two of us celebration. That left only Ethan, and he had made plans of his own. His intention was to spend the first part of the day helping out at the soup kitchen that Cooper had done for the last few years, and then he would head to the Spotlight, to lend a hand and get himself a meal. His family were not that big on the holidays, and to him, it was really just another day…
When Nick had agreed to give Jeff a quiet Christmas Day, he had not consented to have no celebration with their friends at all, and to that end, he organised a party for the 19th of the month; just a small affair with a buffet and drinks. He chose to hold it on the Monday, as college classes were finished, and Broadway was closed, meaning that the greatest number of friends could make it. He had still asked Jeff about it first, and his husband had agreed that it was fair; their parties were pretty legendary after all. It also meant he would have a good opportunity to show off the festive decorations that he would by then have installed in the hallway. When Jeff had said that, reality hit for Nick. The small amount of decorations that they owned from the loft last year would be nowhere near enough for the new house; they would do one room if they were lucky. They would have to acquire more, and then there was the question of the tree. It would have to be much bigger than last years, given that Jeff wanted it to be in the hallway, next to the stairs, and visible from the landing on the first floor…
The one advantage of that plan was that it would be easily accessible for the purposes of decoration; the drawback was that he had no idea how many strings of fairy lights they would need, or how much garland and trimmings. They wanted it to look classical after all, not gaudy and tawdry. Thus it was that Mike found himself being dragged to Macy's early one Sunday by the young couple, and ended up standing with them in the store, looking at the decorations there for inspiration; sizing up the trees they had used to see if there was one of a similar size to the one they would need. It was just a case of looking for inspiration for Jeff; for Nick, it was more about being able to ask what quantity of lights they had used so he knew how many to buy…
In both cases, their prayers were answered by helpful sales staff. As one assistant looked at the rough sketch that Jeff had drawn of the effect he wanted to achieve, the other contacted the display department and asked the necessary questions for Nick. As Jeff walked round and stared at all the trimmings that filled the department, Mike explored for himself, hopeful that he might get some input. Eventually Nick was supplied with the information he needed, and after thanking his informant profusely, he was able to join his husband to ensure they had the correct quantities of the essentials, and also to reign him in just a little. Mike for his part had found some little chorister decorations that he felt were wholly appropriate at the back of a shelf in a corner; he was not in the least surprised when the staff, on being presented with them, looked at them curiously, wondering where they had appeared from; it had been a clear angelic intervention….
Eventually they were able to head home, Jeff satisfied at last with everything they had bought, and Nick not in too much shock over the final bill. All three were laden down with bags, but as they headed downtown, there was still one final issue to resolve; obtaining the actual tree. Mike couldn't help but think that it would just have been easier to take the fully decorated display one from Macy's, but he said nothing…
A tree was eventually sourced, and delivered on the 18th, the perfect date as far as Nick was concerned, as it did not do for a tree to be up in the house for too long. The deliverymen managed to get it in with no problem, as Caleb watched open mouthed from the door to Nick's study at first, then shaking his head, went off to find a quiet spot to nap in and ponder once more the stupid things that humans did. The tree was soon standing tall and proud in the hallway; to Jeff, it was the start of his Christmas dream, and a blank canvas for him to turn into a spectacle. For Nick, it was a multi layered challenge; first to decorate, then to undecorate, and then to dispose of after the holiday. He wondered if it might be a good time to invest in an axe, as that would make it easier to get out afterwards, and they could even burn the logs…
Jeff decided that he needed to eat first, and so they headed to the kitchen, leaving the tree alone - but not for long. Caleb smelt food, and was en route to the kitchen when he paused to stare at the tree again. He had decided that this time his humans had lost their minds altogether. They had brought a smaller tree into the old house last year, and yes, it had made a wonderful hiding place, but this one was far too much. For starters, he could easily get lost under there, not to the mention the fact that such a tree was screaming "Climb me!" at a young cat like himself. It was tempting, but he resisted; he knew instinctively that his humans would not like him doing that at all…
Having eaten, Nick and Jeff returned to the hallway, and began to unpack the bags and boxes from Macy's. Caleb had decided not to head back up quite yet, as there was a nice, draught free, warm spot in the kitchen by the radiator, and he was in need of another nap. He could check up on what they were doing later… In the end, it took the two husbands all afternoon to finish it, and there had been a couple of moments when Nick had wanted to scream, particularly when Jeff had informed him that he was putting on a garland upside down - as if that was even possible! Still, by the time that Mike arrived home, everything was ready for the grand switch on moment. Caleb had heard the front door open, and suddenly recalled that he had an inspection to make. He arrived just in time for Jeff to grab him and hold him in his arms as Mike switched off the lights, plunging the hallway into darkness; and Nick switched the tree lights on, his fingers crossed that there wouldn't be one bulb that wasn't working…
The result of the afternoon's work was, they all had to agree, magical. The twinkling lights were bright enough that they illuminated most of the room, and standing by Jeff's side, Nick felt his heart warm as he saw the big smile on his face. Even Caleb had to agree that it was pretty special; once again, his humans had done him proud.
The next night was the party, and the first thing that everyone remarked on as they walked through the front door was that the whole house just seemed to be Christmas encapsulated. The air was fragrant with the scent of pine needles; the spices from the pies and cookies that Nick had spent most of the day baking; and with the smells from the apple wood from the open fire that was blazing away in the grate. The tree was of course the centrepiece of the decoration of the hallway and was admired by everyone. The most commented on decorations upon it where the little choristers that Mike had found, given that each and every one of them was very much an individual. They all had different facial expressions, different coloured hair in a variety of styles, and as had been discovered when they opened the box, four of them had wings…
Mike had dismissed the notion that they might be special at first, but then it had gradually grow upon him; after all, there had been the two little dolls that Nick and Jeff had come across in Prague that resembled Kurt and Blaine; they now lived in a display case in the drawing room. All of the little choristers had been displayed prominently on the lower branches of the tree with one exception; one of them had such a forlorn expression on its face that on coming across it the day before, Jeff had felt his heart breaking. Nick had felt the same, and both had agreed that they had to display it, just not quite so visibly. Nick knew that if what Mike surmised was true, and they represented the Warblers - and he had found one that looked like Jeff - then the sad one had to be Drew. If Ethan saw it and made the connection, then it would upset him and leave him depressed all night. So the forlorn chorister was placed higher up on the tree, still visible, but not quite as clear to the naked eye, given that it faced away from the staircase. Sure enough, all of the guests did twig what they represented, but none of them spotted the little one on its own, miles from the others. One guest did count them and realise that they were one short, but all Ethan could do was sigh, and hope that if they were magical, one of these days there would be an extra one to hang on the tree…
In the dining room, Nick's lavish buffet was the star attraction; the dining table nearly groaned under the weight of savoury snacks. There were tiny tarts and pies, little sandwiches made on a variety of breads, vol au vents, and breadcrumb morsels of delight. As for the desserts, they had been left in the kitchen, placed out of bounds for the moment.
The main events of the evening would take place on the sprung floor of the drawing room upstairs, and as was the inevitable case at any assembly of Warblers and New Directions alumni, there was a lot of singing and dancing going on from the off. All of those that lived in the city had made it. Puck had been invited, but had sent his apologies, as he had been unable to get leave, with Quinn. She discovered that Caleb knew at once that she was alone, and the cat immediately attached himself to her, jumping into her lap the moment she sat down. Nick, ever the good host, hurried over to apologise and escort the cat back downstairs, but Quinn shooed him away; there was something quite nice about being selected as Caleb's resting place, and it also meant that she was brought plates of food from the buffet. If some of the ham and chicken from the sandwiches made their way into the stomach of a cat, then so what?
Trent and Rory had arrived a little late, having been held up on their journey from Washington by a slow moving train. What was a surprise was that they were followed in by Gabriel and Mitch, who had been unsure if they could make it. As they stood in the hall, admiring the tree, Santana sidled up to Sebastian, and whispered, "Are those two a couple? They live together, go everywhere together; they are more coupley that you and Dave."
"Just because my husband and I do not spend every waking moment whispering sweet nothings in each others ears doesn't mean that we are any less of a couple, Satan!" Sebastian had hissed in reply. "In answer to your question, no, they are not a couple. Mitch is single at the moment, after a nasty break up, whilst Gabriel's long term girlfriend is abroad, studying at the Sorbonne from what I have been told. He is leaving the day after tomorrow to spend Christmas with her." Santana nodded, but she wasn't totally convinced that there was nothing going on there…
After a while, Nick relented, and let everyone into the kitchen. Quinn discovered that the quickest way to get Caleb off her lap was for Nick to say the word kitchen, as he had no sooner uttered it than the cat was jumping off her lap and sprinting down two flights of stairs in front of them all. There were happy glances all round as they admired Nick's handiwork, set out on the kitchen table. There was a mix of delights to share; cheesecakes, pumpkin pie, apple pie, key lime pie, and lemon meringue pie too. There were little mincemeat pies, and a treacle tart, which all those in the know swooped on first. As Sebastian was about to walk away with a slice, he almost dropped his plate as he saw what was sitting on a dish nearby….
"Grace kept a packet back; Merry Christmas Sebastian!" Jeff whispered as his friend swooped territorially on the custard creams. Santana, seeing what was going on, laughed out loud, then ignoring the growls coming from the former Warbler, she helped herself to a couple on the way past.
The room was soon full of happy chatter, and if some of the whipped cream that Nick had generously served on top of the desserts ended up being licked off fingers by Caleb, nobody minded. The entire intention of the event had been to celebrate the bonds of their friendships, and it had been a roaring success. The night would end with Mason reprising Turn it Off!, with a full compliment of dancing Warblers around him, and a general air of hilarity…
The remainder of the week in the run up to Christmas was marked by a flurry of activity. Those that would be heading out of town for the day had to pack, deliver gifts and work shifts at their jobs if necessary to cover the days they would be absent. Those on the stage had shows to perform to full houses, along with extra matinees to deliver to cover for having the day off on Sunday. Sebastian found himself being called in every day, as there had been a small outbreak of flu, and although the virus was mild, it still left them short of Mormons. Those that were in college might not have been in class, but there was still coursework to complete, and end of year shows for those at NYADA. Those that now worked for a living found that their workload was actually heavier as they had to prepare for the holidays, and on top of that, there were the office parties that they felt obliged to attend.
For Nick there was also the task of buying the ingredients for his and Jeff's lunch on the big day. He would still be buying a ham as he had last year, and boiling it, although that would be mainly for serving up for meals after the big day. He decided against buying a turkey as he had the year before, and instead he bought a good sized, corn fed chicken, as that would mean a lot less leftovers and much less waste. That along with a good selection of sides would be the main course, with a starter of a hearty homemade lentil and bacon soup; for dessert he had decided to make one of Jeff's favourites, a treacle tart. His other favourite, Tiramisu, would be prepared and ready for the following day. On the top of all of that, he had large numbers of cookies to bake, to fill boxes that he intended to hand out as gifts for family and friends, not to mention a large number of fruit cakes to bake and decorate. One of them he would take across the street to their favourite neighbour, as a small token of their affection for her.
By the time that Friday night came around, everything had reached its crescendo. The Spotlight was busier than ever, and it was a case of all available hands to serve, clear and seat the line of eager customers. Flint had arrived there straight from the office, having intended stopping off solely to get some dinner; Ethan was at his work Christmas party, and he couldn't bother cooking for one. He ended up eating as he stood at his usual spot at the coffee machine. He was particularly proud of the fact that he had been allowed to create a special of his own; after experimenting at home, he had managed to create a special spiced latte, which smelt and tasted of pure Christmas. Judging by the number that he was having to make that night, he had managed to formulate something that everyone else was enjoying too.
Between those coffees, hot chocolate with whipped cream, slices of rich fruit cakes and mincemeat pies and tarts, it was clear that the holiday spirit was in full swing. The main sellers that night were still the everyday regular menu items, the things people liked but would find in short supply over the next few days of festivities. The music that night was naturally those old festive standards that were sung year in, year out, but never seemed to fall out of favour, although they did perform some of them with a little twist. The tip jar had been replaced with a charity collection box for the soup kitchen, and it was gratifying to all of them to see how generous their customers were being. Then again, someone pointed out that as the two people going round with it were the sweet Brittany and the slightly scary Santana, so that might have helped influence people into making a donation…
Christmas Eve was busy too, but in a completely different context. The city did seem a little quieter, at least in the centre, with the exception of the major transport hubs, as people boarded buses or trains to head to the airport, or home, or even just to those locations they would be spending the holiday. Luke, Duncan and Seth had been amongst the first to leave, rushing to Penn Station for the Vermonter, but still finding time to leave a gift with Nick and Jeff; the other three members of their house were not far behind them in heading to the airport for their flights. Artie left early too, as Kitty wanted to spend the whole of Christmas Eve with him, as well as the whole day tomorrow.
After having an early lunch together, Flint and Ethan exchanged gifts, and then the latter headed off for the train to Baltimore; Izzy would join him at the station and they would head down to her parents together. Flint was actually looking forward to seeing the Bernsteins, and even the thought of his own parents wasn't too bad, as long as he managed to keep the worst of his mom's running commentary under control. At the same time, Mike was also saying a farewell to his two housemates before he headed to work for the afternoon show; he would head straight to Tina after he finished. He had mixed emotions about the whole thing, as he would miss the company of the two young men, and if they were honest, it would be strange that he was absent to both of them too. After he left, Nick and Jeff found themselves alone in the hallway, with just an expectant Caleb for company. Jeff smiled and hugged his husband, before saying more loudly than necessary, "This is going to be the best Christmas ever, Nicky!" As Nick hugged him back, he did not feel quite so sure…