Surprises galore in London

Roderick had risen earlier than he had really needed to on Saturday morning to catch his flight; that ensured that he felt sufficiently tired that night to be able to doze off quickly in a different time zone. As a result, when he woke early on the Sunday morning, he felt refreshed; he had a cup of tea, then went about his usual morning ablutions, taking extra care with his shave and ensuring that his hair was well groomed and styled. He had decided that he would take a stroll around the hospital campus before he headed in to interview the director, just to immerse himself in the history of the institution, explore its juxtaposition to the buildings of the city around it, so he headed out of his room at about 8.30am, dressed to perfection, and ready for some breakfast. As he walked towards the breakfast room he had a feeling that he was being watched, but he dismissed it instantly as a ridiculous notion. He approached the staff member at the door, and gave his room number.

"Ah, yes sir; we actually have a message for you. There is a gentleman here that wished to talk with you, and he stated that it was of the utmost urgency. We can arrange to have breakfast brought over to the small meeting room over there, where he is waiting for you…"

Roderick nodded, curious as to who it could be, given that other than Ethan, and possibly Cooper, no-one knew where he was. With that thought in his mind he crossed to the other room, wondering if one of them had been in touch with Mason to say he was coming, and he would be the one waiting. He entered the room, and he realised as he saw them sitting there that it was actually an obvious person really; although he had hoped for his best friend, Sebastian was no bad thing either…

"Sebastian! This is a pleasant surprise! Did Cooper tell you I was here? Come and have some breakfast with me, before I have to head out for my interview at Great Ormond Street."

"I would love to, but first there is something that I need to tell you. You have been brought here under false pretences. Ethan lied to you at my behest. There is no interview."

"Yeah, right," scoffed Roderick. "Like the two of you would bring me all the way over here for a joke!"

"It's true, but it isn't for a joke. You see, you do have somewhere that you need to be at 11.30, smartly dressed; a very important event. It's not an interview, just something that you need to replace me at. The fact is, Mason is marrying Jane today at 11.30am. He asked me to be his best man, as he knew all about your current circumstances. He knew you would not accept him paying for a flight, but couldn't afford to come yourself without adding to your debt. I agreed to do it, but I began to scheme how to get you here without hurting your pride, and the whole scheme with Ethan was the best I could come up with…"

Roderick had sat silent until then, but suddenly he burst out, "Mason is getting married, today! He never said… I mean, I know why, but still…"

"He and Jane think that the guest list from home will be two sets of parents, Madison, Niff, little Wes and me. I knew that both of you would hate the fact that you weren't here when it all came out, but I also knew that there was no way your pride would allow you to accept a flight here as a gift…"

"You were right there, so you and Ethan schemed together to drag me over here under false pretences…" mused Roderick. Then it hit him. "Wait, are you saying that I have a little less than 3 hours to write a best man's speech?"

"Yes, and of course, Mason still has no idea that you are here," said Sebastian with a grin. He suddenly noticed something through the open door. "And speaking of surprise guests…" he said, before he jumped up and left the room. Roderick was more than a little confused by that, until Sebastian returned with his arms draped around the shoulders of two other young men whose appearance just made his day…

As the three former New Directions greeted each other warmly, then at Sebastian's bidding headed to get some breakfast, Mason was walking towards the self same hotel, wondering how on earth he had agreed to go there and see Sebastian. The last thing he needed on this important day was stress, but the call he had received from his best man an hour ago had sounded so anguished that he had felt he had no other option. He walked into the hotel, his wedding clothes draped over his arm in a suit carrier, hoping that the problem his best man had mentioned was a little one. He enquired at the reception desk, and headed over to the meeting room that Sebastian had just returned to after getting the other three settled for breakfast.

His mood got no better when he saw Sebastian sitting there with a grim look on his face. "Okay, so what has happened?" Mason asked. "The venue hasn't fallen down or caught fire, as I saw it on the way past… You haven't lost your voice, and I don't think you have some debilitating illness…"

"No, it's nothing like that. It's worse. It is just that I have to tell you that there is no way that I can be your best man. I thought that I could do it, but I can't. I am not up to it; I don't know you well enough for a start…."

"I am sorry, but are you seriously telling me that you can't be my best man with just over two hours before the ceremony begins? That is not funny!"

"I am sorry; it isn't right for me to do it. Don't worry though, I have found the perfect substitute to take on the role. He isn't as good as me in the acting department, but he has many other qualities that make him the prefect fit for the role."

"You have organised a replacement! How on earth could you ever believe that I would be okay with this!? You have found, to all intents and purposes, a stranger to be at my side on what should be the happiest day of my life? What kind of supposed friend does that?"

"A friend that has your best interests at heart, Mason. A friend that knows a few people that can pull a few strings to help you out. Right, so a good breakfast is important on your wedding day, so come with me and we will get you fed…."

"Come with you!? I am barely able to resist punching you in the face! You know what, forget it. I will just call my dad and tell him he will have to do it."

"Not until I get you into the restaurant and fed," said Sebastian. "Don't go making rash decisions on an empty stomach…"

Mason looked at Sebastian in a mixture of disgust and exasperation; the man that had just welched on him in terms of being his best man was now suggesting that they go for food when he desperately needed to sort out the most important day of his life so far? Still, he had to admit he was hungry, and if his so called friend was going to act like a total ass, then the least that he could do was buy him breakfast. "Fine, but it is on you!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Sebastian calmly, as he got up and headed for the door, with Mason at his heels. "Anyway, before you go and call your dad, maybe I should tell you exactly who I have organised to take over from me in your best man duties. He is a really great guy, and a mutual friend…"

"It doesn't really matter; today of all days I need someone that I feel totally comfortable with, and if this guy was the perfect option as you seem to think, then I would have chosen him already myself."

"Really?" said Sebastian, pausing on the threshold of the restaurant, where he could see Roderick chatting away with Alistair and Spencer in the nearest corner, hidden still from Mason. "Well, of course, it is entirely up to you to make the choice; your dad is a good man, from what you have told me, and there should be fewer off colour jokes from him… However, there might well be embarrassing baby photos, and stories about all the things you did as a three year old instead…" He paused, and resisted the urge to laugh as Mason's face paled as he realised that was a very real prospect. "Anyway, I will let you tell him that his services are no longer required as a substitute best man yourself. He is here, and currently having breakfast in the corner of the room."

"You brought him here!" exclaimed Mason, stepping into the room. "Oh great, so now I can look like a complete…" His rant tailed off as he saw who was in the corner, and he was forced to blink to confirm that it was not just a hallucination….

"As I said," continued Sebastian, placing an arm around Mason's shoulder, "I know people that can pull strings, and help me spin tales. Still, if you would rather have me as your best man, I suppose I could…"

"Sebastian, you are so fired as best man. This is…I don't know how I can ever repay you!"

"By going over there and chilling with your groomsmen. I had to tell them what was going on, as Roderick needs to write a speech. As for repaying me, call it my wedding gift to you. Now, go on, get over there; I will see you all at the ceremony." Mason grabbed Sebastian, and pulled him into a brief hug, before sprinting across the room. Sebastian watched as Roderick saw him, and leapt up; greetings and hugs were exchanged, everyone smiling broadly. Sebastian smiled to himself, then headed off to get ready for the ceremony himself…

He had already arranged to meet up with Nick and Jeff outside the venue, and they headed in together. They were not the first there; on seeing them arrive, Madison left her family and headed over to kiss Sebastian, and thank him profusely for bringing the missing three of their little circle of six to the event. Sebastian was modest, pointing out that the real legwork had been done by Ethan, Emma and Sam; they had created the tissue of lies that had got the three young men onto a plane. He was hugged again a few moments later as Mason and Roderick arrived, both of them with broad smiles on their faces.

"The day felt right this morning," Mason began, "but it wasn't perfect. Now it is, more or less. With my best friend at my side I feel a lot calmer, and more than ready to make a life long commitment."

"I am so glad that you sorted all of this out as well," said Roderick. "If Mason had called me up in New York today to tell me that he and Jane had got married, I would have been so happy for them, but bereft that I had not been here with them. This way I have the best of everything… I have also realised that the only thing that would have stopped me coming here if Mason had asked me to and offered to pay would have been my foolish pride. I need to get over that I guess, but that is for later; right now, I have a far more important job to do…"

As they walked away, Nick asked Sebastian what on earth was going on, as he and his husband had no idea. Sebastian explained everything to them, which earned him warm smiles from his fellow musketeers. They both thought that the man before them was a far cry from the selfish jerk of their junior year at Dalton, but said nothing; after all, Sebastian knew that himself already.

When Jane arrived shortly thereafter, there was a moment when she did a double take at the sight of the three unexpected guests, but then her look of shock was replaced by a smile, and the ceremony could begin. There was no time for explanations first, those having to wait until after the ceremony; then her new husband could tell her what was going on. The vows that they made that day were traditional, built on their love for each other. In no time at all the celebrant was pronouncing them husband and wife, to the delight of the small congregation.

The wedding had been small and intimate, but the reception afterwards was larger; both Jane and Mason had invited their colleagues, and most had come. The room was filled with warmth for them, and the newlyweds enjoyed every minute, made all the better by the three surprise guests. Sebastian found himself kissed by the bride, much to everyone's amusement. When the time came, Roderick managed in short time to have written a speech that was perfect; full of pathos, love, and just the right amount of fun. It sounded like he had written it months ago, not in a hotel restaurant just hours before. His final toast was to conspiratorial friends, which made some curious, but Sebastian just raised his glass and smiled, happy to have made the young couple's weddings ing day all the more special.

The following day saw Sebastian with divided priorities, and in the end Jeff had to step in and head to St Pancras station on his behalf. Long before the special royal performance of his show had been organised, Sebastian had invited François to come over to London to spend a few days with him, having asked the permission of his hosts of course. Nick and Jeff had had no issue with it, both looking forward to catching up with the young Frenchman again. He was coming on his own, as his partner was tied up with work, much to everyone's disappointment. The plan had been for Sebastian to meet him from the morning train from Paris, but the upcoming royal show had lead to an alteration to his plans….

When he had broken the news that he was to be performing specially for the Queen to his husband, Dave had been beyond delighted, barely able to process the fact that his husband had actually met her in the first place, let alone was now giving a command performance. Julian had been left stunned and speechless when he told him over Skype, which meant that it fell to Isabelle to say that it had been a great shame that there had been no photographers present to capture the moment for posterity. That had set her thinking, and once Sebastian had signed off that night, having given her the date of the extra show in all innocence, she had set about ensuring that the next meeting between her brother-in-law and the monarch would be recorded….

The fact that her ultimate boss was a Dame of the British Empire meant that certain strings could be pulled, naturally. Ms Wintour was delighted that Isabelle had brought to her a scoop; no other news organisation had any idea that the show was to take place, and from what Sebastian had said, it would be quite a gathering of both the Royal Family and the great and the good of British acting. She had proceeded to make a call to her contacts at the palace, and they had, after much talking amongst all the parties involved, agreed to give Vogue exclusive access. So pleased with that was the Editor in Chief that she immediately assigned Isabelle to cover it personally, and told her she could take a few people with her at the magazine's expense, if she wished…

Isabelle had been in touch with Sebastian and told him that she was coming; he was only a little surprised at what she had done, and agreed to meet her at the airport, even though he was quiet sure that she could easily navigate to her hotel on her own, given that her current intern, Gideon, would be with her to carry all the heavy stuff; for the young man in question it was quite something to be heading to England, let alone into the orbit of royalty, and on telling his mother, he had been forced to hold the phone well away from his ear as she had screamed… What Sebastian did not know was that Isabelle had taken what she had been told literally, and was bringing with her a few people that Sebastian would never be expecting…

That Monday morning, a delay on the tube meant that Sebastian found himself running into the arrivals area of Terminal 5 twenty minutes after Isabelle's flight was scheduled to arrive; she would have fast track clearance at Security, and would likely be nearly through it by now. Sure enough, he was barely at the doors when they opened and she stepped out; his sister-in-law had a broad smile on her face, and still managed to look radiant and fresh, even after a long haul overnight flight. She walked right over to him, and pulled him into a hug, whispering "I am so pleased for you" in his ear as she did so. He smiled, then when she let him go, went to head out the door, seeing that her assistant had also emerged.

"Oh, we can't go yet; there are a few more people in my team that we have to wait for," she said with a smile, as Gideon walked up to stand beside her.

"Your team?" said Sebastian. "I thought that you had just come to take a few photos."

"It is, but then I also need to have a few words with you and the rest of the cast… Ah, here is the first of them now…."

Sebastian looked up, then he blinked, his mouth dropping open. The boy that had just emerged ran over to him, and gave him a quick hug, with the words, "Hey Uncle Bazzy! Mr Harwood said to say hello…"

"Hey Peter, it is good to see you, but why…"

Sebastian was about to ask Isabelle why his nephew was with her when the door opened again, and he saw his brother standing there, pushing his niece in her stroller. He spun round to look at Isabelle, who calmly said, "I thought that it would be nice to make it a family affair, and Thad was kind enough to help arrange for Peter to have a few days off…"

As his brother walked over to join them, the doors opened again, and Sebastian saw his father, pushing a laden luggage trolley, and behind him were his maman and… He rushed forward, past his brother who just laughed, and pulled his husband into a bear hug, glad that his maman was carrying Elise in her arms right now. "Surprise, Sebby!" said Dave with a smile. "It turns out that even my boss can't say no to a request that involves the Queen of England…" Then he stopped, and reached to swipe the tears off his husband's face as his emotions overtook him, so delighted at being able to see his husband and daughter unexpectedly…

It did not surprise Sebastian in the least when he later discovered that Nick had known exactly what was going to happen, having been called by Isabelle at his office on Friday, by which time she knew exactly what was going to take place herself. Jeff had been told that morning, and had set up a crib for Elise in Sebastian's room before he had left for the station to collect François. He had also laid out lunch for them all, knowing that when he arrived back from St Pancras, there would be little time for talk before Sebastian had to head to the theatre to prepare for that night's performance…

As Dave unpacked, Sebastian played with their little girl, who had in his opinion grown drastically in the last few weeks. "Why didn't you tell me that you were coming? I mean, we were only talking yesterday when I got back from Mason's wedding, and you said nothing…"

"It all happened so fast Sebby. Isabelle only told me on Saturday, and there was so much that I needed to get organised. In any case, the look on your face and that reaction were priceless."

"I guess they were…" said Sebastian happily. "I have really missed you…"

"Likewise. We have a couple of nights now though, and in just a few more weeks you will be back home, and getting ready for the birth of our second child." Sebastian nodded, knowing that Dave was right. They would just have to make the most of the little time that they did have; he would love it if Dave could stay a few more nights, but that was not practical, and as he said, he would be heading home soon enough…

Lunch that day was a happy affair; François had of course only been expecting to see Sebastian, so to find Dave and Elise there too was a pleasant shock. Jeff had not been with them, no sooner dropping off the visitor from Paris than running out of the door again, so it fell to Sebastian to hold court. Dave couldn't help but laugh at the look on the young Frenchman's face when he was told he had a ticket to see Sebastian's show the following afternoon; one that the Queen would be attending. François descended into a stream of French at the news, which only Sebastian could really understand, although Dave understood that he was needing to call his mother and tell her urgently. Soon enough though the party had to break up, as Sebastian had to go to work; if his smile as he went to work that afternoon was a little broader, then it was perfectly understandable. After all, his heart felt lighter than it had done since he had left New York all those weeks ago…

Jeff had headed back out with a specific purpose in mind. Once he knew that Sebastian's entire family would be coming for the show, he decided that he would attempt to make their visit all the more special by having a chat with someone that he had begun to see almost as a friend. It wasn't all that easy of course to make contact with a Duchess, but he had found out from her private secretary, who had a soft spot for him, that she would be having lunch with some old friends at a small bistro near the palace, and if Jeff headed there then she might be able to spare him a moment….

Jeff hastened to the restaurant, but on arriving there found that it was closed to the public; he sighed, and then turned to go. He had barely walked away when the door opened, and he heard his name called out by one of the protection team, the same man that had been with her on the day they first met in the palace gardens. "I don't want to disturb Her Highness when she is enjoying lunch with friends," Jeff began, "but if I gave you a note, could you pass it on to her; it concerns the play tomorrow."

"Actually, Mr Sterling-Duval, the Duchess saw you and asked me to enquire whether you had the time to come in and be introduced to her friends," the man said with a smile. "They are a group of ladies that she studied with at St Andrews University; if you haven't had lunch, and have no other plans, she would be more than happy for you to join them…"

That was how Jeff found himself sitting with the ladies for lunch; all of them had a keen interest in art, and one of them had even been to see his last show, Modern Families, in New York. "I though that you managed to encapsulate perfectly in your selection of work how family is no longer determined by blood connections these days; how modern life is about a series of interconnected family groups. Your school friends are like a family to you; a band of brothers. I particularly liked the large group sketch that you had of all of them, including yourself, and I believe, the judging angel himself…"

"Well spotted… Wes was the best kind of big brother to all of us; he comforted us in the bad times and always fought our corner; he still managed to make us all laugh and smile even when he was keeping us all in line with his gavel… When he died…well it wasn't pretty, and The Judging Angel was my personal tribute to him."

"Your friends have all been very supportive of you, agreeing to sit for you," remarked the Duchess, seeing how sadness had crept into Jeff's eyes at the mention of the man in question.

"I have been very lucky there; Nick my husband accepts it as part of married life with me, and the others all agreed to it because Wes had already done it. Then again, there are also some drawings of all of them that will never see the light of day in their lifetime… I mean," Jeff paused, lowering his voice, and getting the ladies around the table to lean towards him so that they could hear him, "that picture of the guys started off as a copy of an official photo, but in the original, none of them were wearing their school uniform. In fact, no-one was wearing anything…."

There was a gasp, and then some giggles, before laughter broke out, even from Jeff. "You are saying that you have drawn all of your friends…" began one of the young ladies.

"Oh yes; there is even one of Wes with nothing but his gavel…" That remark earned him a squeal, and then sworn promises that they would never divulge what he had just said to them to anyone…

At the end of the lunch, Jeff finally got the opportunity to ask the question that he had come to ask, and it left the Duchess looking thoughtful. "I don't foresee any major issues, but I would need a list of names and addresses if you have them, just for protocol and security." Jeff pulled out the list he had already made, and handed it to her, making her smile. "A Canadian will be no problem I am sure, and I have heard of Ms Wright naturally. I am sure that it will all be okay. Will you and your husband be at the show tomorrow?"

"We will be on babysitting duties I am afraid; neither Sebastian's daughter or his niece are at the age where they would appreciate all the complexities of Hamlet. However, we might well be free for a certain State Visit…"

Kate laughed and shook her head, then said, "I think that an invite to that might be a distinct possibility. I believe that we are liasing with the Vice President, who is of course a personal friend of Her Majesty. I also believe that one of your close friends works at the Oval Office…" Jeff nodded, then checked his watch and realised he was cutting it fine for the kindergarten. With apologies, he rushed off, fingers crossed his plan would come off…