Protocols, Parties and Partings.
Jeff still had the image of Cooper walking down the street, muttering to himself with a German accent as he hastened to the gallery the following morning. He had managed to leave the house before Nick for the first time ever, which left his husband shaking his head and having to change his own plans for the day a little, as he would now have to allow five minutes in his schedule to drop off Wes at Ethan and Drew's place.
Nick also had memories of the previous day, but for him they had centred around the fact that he had struggled to keep a straight face when his sister had called him after dinner. He had her on speakerphone, and had barely stifled a laugh when she had asked if he knew why her husband kept asking her for directions to the nearest drugstore as he had a nasty rash… Calming himself, Nick had responded with an apology for the choice of phrase, but it had seemed the best one to allow his brother-in-law to explore all of the subtle nuances of the German accent that he was trying to pick up for his new role.
Grace had sighed, then said, "I just wish the rash could have been somewhere less personal, Nicholas! Other than that, I suppose his accent is not atrocious, but it definitely needs improvement. I am not busy tonight with work of my own, so I guess I could teach him a few better phrases; things that are less likely to get him stared at if he uses them in front of a German tourist on the street. From what Nils tells me, he was muttering when he came home, something about asking to speak to the ambassador about his choice of chocolates for the party; it was in English, but done with a Dick Van Dyke style German accent…"
Nick laughed then, and said, "Okay, so that isn't ideal, but give me time, and I will have him sounding more like a real German…"
When he walked into the gallery that morning, Jeff was all smiles, which turned out to be no bad thing, as everyone else appeared to have pressed the panic button. He ignored them, and went straight for the coffee machine, and without being asked, made all of those present a coffee, recalling the preferences of them all. Then he dragged all of them to the table to sit down and drink them, helped by the box of cookies that Nick had baked for him at the weekend.
"We really do not have time for this!" said his former tutor, now owner of the gallery. "As much as I love your husband's cookies, we have an inspection in less than an hour, and there is still so much that we need to do."
"Okay, calm down just a little," replied Jeff in what he hoped was a reassuring enough tone. "I have more than a few contacts amongst the staff that work for the Duchess, so I sent a few questions, and they e-mailed my back overnight with the answers. Now, I know that you have all been trying to turn this place into a version of Fort Knox, but it isn't necessary. Okay, so the windows at the rear of the building need good locks and security screens; we already have the latter in place, and apart from that one broken window lock, all of the rest are secure enough. I have already called a locksmith, and they are due any moment now to repair or fix the faulty one…"
Jeff paused, gauging reaction, then continued, "We have no closets that cannot be locked, and the ones we have all have key pad locks, with individual codes, so that is sorted. The palace asked me for a list of all the staff that will be here on the night of the opening, and I submitted it a week ago, before we even knew about the inspection, so I am assuming that everyone's vetting was okay; we have nobody here that is a terrorist, a revolutionary, or a spy behind our backs it seems, nor someone with a rap sheet as long as the Empire State Building is tall. The royal party will have their own security, and the government will supply more on top of that…"
"So we really don't need to worry about the neighbourhood as much, or about repairing every little crack and chip in the structure?"
"Nope. I don't think that the assessor will be looking for the potential for cuts, trips and splinters," replied Jeff with a grin…
The assessor proved to be extremely punctual, arriving on the dot, dressed in a well made suit on which were sewn the medal ribbons she had earned as part of the British armed forces, something Jeff had seen before during his time in London. He introduced himself to her, then the gallery owner and each member of the team there. "I asked everyone to be here as I thought it would be ideal for you to meet the entire staff that will be here for the initial weeks of the exhibition," he said, smiling.
"That is appreciated, Mr Sterling-Duval, although the background checks that we have carried out on them all from the list of names you provided have come back with no area of grave concern. Of course, should there be a change of personnel in any way prior to the potential visit…"
"We will of course notify you at once, and before we confirm any hire, we will await the result of your background check."
It was at that moment that the locksmith emerged from the backroom, which caused the assessor to raise an eyebrow, as she had been under the impression she had met everyone on the premises. Realising his omission, Jeff hurriedly said, "We discovered an issue with one of the security locks on the rear windows this morning; we summoned this gentleman at once to resolve it. I should have mentioned that he was here…"
As the assessor nodded, the locksmith responded, "I have replaced the damaged lock with a new one to the exact same specification." Jeff nodded, glad that he had informed the locksmith when he arrived that there was a security assessor coming, if not where she was coming from.
"Well, I think now would be an opportune moment for me to assess the security measures at the rear of the property, and see that they are up to the standard that we require," the assessor stated. Turning to the locksmith, she continued, "It would be useful if you could accompany us on the tour, sir. If I do discover any issues with the other locks, you would be able to work on resolving them post haste…"
The locksmith nodded, and he joined the assessor and the gallery's owner in heading into the back areas. Jeff decided that it was best he stayed in the gallery and supervised the staff in returning to their work on the set up…
Ten minutes later, the two ladies returned, followed by the locksmith, chatting and smiling. Jeff breathed a little more easily on seeing that, as he took the ease with which they now communicated as a sign that no great security risk had been uncovered.
"Well, Mr Sterling-Duval, I can tell you that my inspection has proved more than satisfactory. The security here is of an exceptional standard, and on top of that, I also discovered that Ms Dorward and I share a common attraction to a certain older movie star…"
Jeff laughed out loud, recalling the calendar on the wall in the owner's office on which the man in question was featured prominently. "So, does that mean that we can expect a visitor to the show?"
"It does, but it comes with a caveat. Given her profile, the Duchess would prefer, if at all possible, a private view, without the public to consider. It is easier to police, and will let her enjoy what she is seeing much more. It was suggested that such a view could occur on the afternoon of the opening day, as it would suit her diary commitments."
"Oh, I think that could be arranged," replied Jeff.
"Of course, she does not mean just herself and her party, with no other guests; she knows that you have a tight knit circle of friends, and she would have no issue with them also being present at the viewing."
"That would be even better, as they would all love to meet her."
"She has also suggested a few guests of her own could be invited," the assessor continued, handing a list over to Jeff. He read the first three names, and gawped. The assessor continued, "The Secret Service has agreed that my inspection will be adequate as one for the attendance of Mrs Kennedy and the Vice President…" There was an audible gasp then from the gallery's owner, who had been struggling with the prospect of a future Queen, but now was being promised a Presidential delegation as well… "And the Duchess of Cornwall will be accompanying her stepdaughter-in-law, as she also has a great appreciation of your style. Indeed, and this is strictly off the record, were Her Majesty younger, she would have joined the party…"
After she left, Jeff accompanied his former tutor into her office, and the two of them slumped down into chairs on either side of the desk. Ms Dorward allowed herself to breathe, then said, "To think that just a few weeks ago I was at my wits end; I felt that I had failed, and that my dream of having a successful gallery was going to turn into a nightmare. Then you appeared, and now I have not one but two future Queens of Britain, the First Lady and the Vice President all coming here for a private viewing…"
"There will also be a few ex-pat, British born stars of stage and screen joining them, according to the list I have been given. For my part, I am going to call up Sebastian Smythe, convince him to come, and invite some of his old co-stars to join him. Of course, Russell Tovey would be the best one of them he could invite, given that he has a keen appreciation of art, and is a patron of a few arts charities. He would be known to the Duchess too, so that is a definite win win situation. I am sure that his Aunt Bette would also be happy to come along, although technically Ms Midler is no blood relation…"
"I love her, and her work, be it on stage or on screen, and her singing voice is wonderful too. It would be a great honour to have her here as well," Ms Dorward interjected.
"I am sure that he will be able to rustle up a few other names too. Given that guest list, and if the royal and presidential parties are agreeable, maybe Isabelle Wright could be persuaded to come along with a photographer and cover it all for her magazine; stay on for the actual opening afterwards too…" mused Jeff.
"Vogue. My gallery in the pages of Vogue. Nobody dare pinch me, as this has to be a dream, and I do not want to wake up from it…" came the response from the other side of the desk, and Jeff nodded, having to admit that it was all starting to come together very nicely…
Confirmation of the visit was waiting for Jeff when he arrived home that night, in the form of a personal e-mail from the Duchess on his secured account. She stated that she was looking forward with great expectation to seeing all of his latest work, and hoped to finally be able to put faces to the names that she had heard him mention over the years, as other than Trent and Sebastian, she had never met any of his fellow former Warblers. She also hoped that her decision to ask the presidential group to join them was in order.
He replied at once that her extension of that invitation was not an issue at all, but that he had a question to ask, namely would it be okay for him to have Isabelle there in her official capacity as editor of Vogue, and invite a few other celebrities that he knew to join them, as a compliment to her own list. He did not expect an immediate reply, so was greatly surprised to hear the ping announcing one as he made to head down to the kitchen from his studio…
Later that evening, with Wes in bed, he sat down and told his husband all that had transpired that day. "So basically there is now to be a private showing prior to the main opening, with a mix of royalty, the FLOTUS and VP, a selection of talent from both sides of the Atlantic, and our closest friends?" asked Nick when his husband stopped speaking. "And you have also been given permission to invite Isabelle along to cover it for Vogue…"
"If she wants to…"
Nick chuckled, and said, "I think that if is unlikely, she will definitely want to be there and will bite your hand off for the invite."
"True," responded his husband with a big grin. "I have only called Sebastian so far of all our friends, and he stated that he would not miss the view for the world, and when I said he could invite Bette, he laughed, and said that she would cancel everything in her diary to be there if he knew her at all… I have also decided that I will invite my mother to the private view, as well as my mom and dad. It seems only fair that she gets the chance to meet everyone as well, given that she was an artist in her day…"
"I agree with that wholeheartedly. Elspeth will see the fact that you are inviting her as a great compliment, and will be so proud to see all of the great and the good gathered there to see her son's work; her own dreams of artistic fame were destroyed by that man, but yours are well and truly happening…" Jeff smiled at what his husband said, and then he had a thought, something he could do for his mother that would make her pleased, or so he hoped…
The news that there was to be a private viewing before the official opening of Jeff's new exhibition would spread relatively slowly amongst the Warblers and their other friends, as the blond had decided that he needed to call each of his friends individually, given who was on the guest list. Trent would be the first to be called after Sebastian, and he did his best to sound surprised for the benefit of his oldest friend, stating that he would love to attend, and that he would ask the President for the time off at once. He did not need to do so, as he was already pencilled in to attend with the First Lady and her party…
He was not in the least bit surprised when he received a text from Nick two minutes after his call with the blond ended, in which the brunet said, 'Jeff has no idea, but I figure that you knew about the party already… If he is repeating what you said to him verbatim, then you deserve a best actor award. Thanks for not bursting my husband's bubble…' Trent did not reply, as he knew that Nick would require no confirmation that he was correct.
Thad was next to be called, and he was not in the least surprised when Jeff added that he was inviting the Carmichaels to attend the party; he was also fully aware that there was no chance they would decline the invite. Getting to New York on a Monday afternoon in term time would not be quite so simple for him, and he would have to rearrange a few classes, and pull some strings to be free. He was certain that Principal Lefevre would have no objection though, particularly if he headed home on the last flight of the day on the same night, so he could be back in school all day on Tuesday. David too would accept his invite, adding that he and Mercedes would not miss the event for the world…
The three older Warblers that lived in the same street in the West Village were also happy to accept, and fortunately, Elliott would be able to attend too, as his babysitting duties for his younger brother would end the previous Saturday. He was however very nervous about meeting the two Duchesses, but then, so were the other three. However, Ethan would be the most shocked, as Jeff did not only state that Evie would be welcome, as a guest of Wes, but also that he was intending to invite his parents to the event as well….
"As you well know, Ethan, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very philanthropic, and they are well aware of the work that the Mackenzie Trust does. The Duchess has expressed a desire to meet you because of it, but the fact is that it was founded by your parents…"
"That's true," Ethan admitted, then chuckled. "On reflection, I think that if my mom discovered that I had turned down an invite to meet royalty on her behalf, she would adopt a child just to have a new heir…"
Jeff had laughed at that, but Ethan was proved correct. As soon as he mentioned that Jeff wanted them to attend his new exhibition's private view, his mom had sighed, and said that it was kind of him, but it wasn't really their thing. Then he had mentioned who the guests of honour were to be. Within ten minutes, she had a hotel room booked, along with a hairstylist appointment, as she had to look her best for such a prestigious gathering, and had convinced her husband to attend with her…
Flint, of course, would never have invited his mother to such an event in a million years, nor would Jeff have asked her to attend. When the call came, Flint was delighted to discover that it coincided with Izzy's day off as well, and she was only too pleased to agree to join the party; then she realised that she would need to find something suitable to wear to meet a future Queen consort. When she said as much, her husband had smiled, and said, "Err, actually, it isn't one, but two…"
Further down on the east side of the island, Cooper would break the news of his invite to his wife when she arrived home from the office, and then informed her that she was herself on the 'required' list that the Duchess had presented, as one of the founding partners of what was now becoming a globally renowned all woman law firm… She laughed at the fact she was now deemed important enough for her own invite, and then agreed with pleasure. "On top of that," Cooper continued, "Jeff also suggested that I should invite my mom…"
"You must," replied Grace. "Pam would love every moment of it all, and I doubt that Bloomingdales will object to it as she will be seen in the photos that are inevitably going to be in Vogue…"
That was of course a certainty. When the offer came, Isabelle had, as suspected, leapt into action, thrilled to have exclusive access to the event. She was at her desk when Jeff called her that morning, the day after the plan was unveiled, and that meant she could instantly bring Gideon into the discussion. She sat her assistant down, and told him that he was invited himself, alongside Mitch, and that Jeff would be calling his husband directly right now. She then broke the news that they would be there on a work basis, as there would be a few famous faces. Then she mentioned the Presidential party, and he grew more interested. Then she said Duchesses, and suddenly she was working with an overexcited schoolboy…
"You mean that I, Gideon Hannaford-Dwyer, will be in the same room as Kate, and will actually be introduced? Ever since she appeared on the scene, I have adored her. She is glamorous, but still so normal, and a mother before everything else. She is a fashion icon for a new age, just as Her Majesty the Queen had been for decades now!"
"I wouldn't tell her that when you are introduced," replied Isabelle.
She headed out then to fetch a glass of water for her excited assistant. As she did, she thought about the rest of her call. Jeff had made it cleat that Julian was also invited, and that the invitation also extended to Peter, if he wanted to attend. She was not sure if it would be the kind of thing her stepson would wish to be at, at least until she pointed out that he would be allowed to bring a guest, and that might well change his point of view. After all, being able to ask Constance to join him at a small gathering of royalty and celebrities would be a plus, and Isabelle was certain she would agree to come, as long as it didn't clash with her college schedule. She could only hope that it wouldn't, and resolved to let Peter know of his invite that day…
All of the invitations for Jeff's private view would be made before the end of the week, a week which ended with a big change, albeit a temporary one, on the West Village street he called home. On that Friday, after finishing up his early shift at the Spotlight, Elliott came home to finish up the job that he had started on the previous day. Even though his stay in Williamsburg would not be a lengthy one, he would not be able to come back and forth during it with any regularity, so he had to pack adequate clothing for the duration of his time there, taking care of his nephew and niece. He was also taking some of his books with him, as he would be alone in the evening, and he did not want to spend all of his time glued to the TV screen, or online with his husband, as that latter would be unfair to Beats…
Elliott realised as he finished his packing that he and his husband had not spent more than a couple of nights apart since they had moved into their West Village home together. He was going to find it hard, and so would Beats. The fact that Dante was not going to be around all the time would also mean that his husband would be caring for Ty alone, more or less. He would miss his boys as much as the man he loved without question. Packing his shaving kit and toiletries, Elliott decided that he would also take a framed photo of his family, one that he could place on the bedside cabinet in his brother's home. It would be something familiar in a very different type of home…
Josh and Scott did not live in a traditional house, but instead had a place in a modern, chic apartment building, near the top of the high rise block. It had great views, but to Elliott, it lacked soul and character. It was not homely enough for his liking, just a place to eat and sleep amidst its sleek lines and minimalist furnishings. He had the feeling that living in such a foreign environment would make the period he was to be away feel even longer. The only bright spot was the fact that Beats would be joining him there on the middle weekend…
As Elliott finished his packing, Beats was on his way home, unable to decide quite how he felt about the evening ahead. Part of him was looking forward to a nice family evening, with Dante and Ty joining them at the table for a quiet meal, but the other half of him was dreading what was going to come the following day. He thought back to when he was still a freshman at Dalton; had someone told him then that he would meet and fall in love with a man, marry him in New York and then raise children with him, he would have looked at the person that said it, and laughed out loud at the very notion…
Back then, of course, he had no concept what pansexuality was, let alone that he was one. Of course, having grown up in a relatively small and traditional town in Ohio, he was not at all familiar with gay sexuality either. Dalton had educated him there, had let him open his eyes to the possibilities the world offered, and had lead him to conclude that the rigid roles and conventions that he had grown up surrounded with were not for him. He had still hidden his true self away though, and had not allowed it out until Elliott swept into his life; he was smitten within days, and thankfully, the feeling was entirely mutual…
Sometimes he did wonder how different his life might have been had Kurt not walked into Dalton to spy that fateful day. Would he have ended up living in New York? Even if he had ended up in the city, then the odds on him crossing paths with Elliott at all had to be very small…
However, he had met him, and now he was blissfully happy. Now his normal was being taken away, and although he knew that it was extremely selfish of him, he resented that fact that he was about to be deprived of the man that he loved for an estimated fifteen days; a period of time he fully anticipated would feel so much longer. Yes, there was that weekend in the middle to look forward to, and it wasn't as if he would be alone. Ty would be there, Dante had promised to be at home more, Flint had said he would come and visit often, and he already had dinner invites from Ethan and Drew, and Nick and Jeff. None of that would be the same as waking up each morning with the man that he loved in bed beside him. As he turned the corner into the final stretch to home, he chided himself for such thoughts, and then fixed a smile back onto his face…
He climbed up the stairs to his home, and smelt the food that Elliott had obviously prepared on top of packing his bags. He sniffed again, and realised that it was buttermilk chicken, one of his guilty pleasures, and not something that they ate very often, conscious of the amount of fat that it contained. There would no doubt be fries as well, cut thin as he liked, again something that was a rare treat. If they had fries at all, they were the chunkier British style, a more healthy option. He hung up his coat, and placed his briefcase on the usual spot on the hall table, then headed into the kitchen, to find his husband taking the perfectly fried chicken from the pan and placing it onto a plate lined with paper towel, to absorb some of the fat…
Looking around, he saw Dante and Ty finishing up setting the table, and a look at their faces made him realise that their smiles were just as fake as his own. He smiled back at them nonetheless, greeting them all warmly, and then kissing his husband on the cheek. That done, he went to wash up before the meal was served. Back at the table, it was a normal family dinner, the conversation avoiding the big issue of the night and focussing on the mundane, talking about how their days had been, laughing together at the unusual things that had come along in the course of events…
There was apple pie for dessert, and then, with the table cleared and the dishwasher working away, they retired to the lounge to watch television as a family. Sure, both Ty and Dante had work to complete over the weekend, but tonight was for family time, something that would be in short supply over the next short while. They would all head to bed earlier than normal, as Elliott would be leaving to go to the other side of the East River first thing, so that Josh and Scott could be at the airport in good time. A Saturday departure was a must for them, thanks to the time zones, to ensure they arrived on Sunday, ready for the business week to commence on Monday morning…
Sleep would take a long time to come though for the married couple, as the reality of the situation hit home. They lay there silently for a while, before Elliott sighed and broke the silence. "It is going to feel a lot worse than this tomorrow when we are both alone…"
"Worse for you in a strange bed," said Beats quietly in reply. "I always felt it acutely when I was back in Ohio for an event at Dalton when you had to stay here. This is the first time that our positions have been reversed though. The only bright spot is that it is only for a short while…"
"Relatively it is, but I think that it will feel like forever nonetheless. I will be counting down the minutes all the time that I am there until next Friday, when we can lie together in bed like this and try to sleep. It will be a light in what might well be a very stressful time."
Beats allowed himself to chuckle quietly at that. "Ah, yes, the terrible twos! That is of course something that we, having wisely decided to foster older children, have never had to deal with for any length of time. I do recall the look of frustration that used to appear on Jeff's face when Wes was that age, and can hear everyone of Flint's words down the phone to me about Aaron…"
"Michelle sometimes comes into the Spotlight with a look of complete exhaustion, and a facial expression that conveys 'Don't even ask!', so I think it is safe to assume that Thaddeus is causing the same kind of issues too. And I, naïve fool that I am, am going to be dealing with two of them. My dear little brother assures me that they are no problem to deal with…"
"However, as he says that, you picture him as Pinocchio, and think that his nose must be elongating with every word that he says?" replied Beats, tongue firmly in cheek.
"They are so well behaved whenever we see them, but once their dads are gone, I think it is almost guaranteed that they will act up. No matter how well I explain it, no matter what any of us do, the fact that their parents will not be around at all for six months will be traumatic for them…"
"I remember when I first went to Dalton, and how bad it seemed not to be seeing mom and dad all the time, so I can only imagine how bad it will be at their tender age. Yeah, I think there will be trauma…"
Elliott nodded, but did not reply; he was far too busy thinking about how adequately he would be able to cope with that. Those thoughts kept him awake for a little longer, and only snuggling in with his now sleeping husband allowed him to finally doze off.