August 2027: The Coronation Part I.
On that Valentine's night, together at the Spotlight Diner, August 2027 had seemed so far away, but as is so often the case in life, the days ended up flying by, and it was now time for the world to witness a Coronation in London. The British capital had spent those months well, an army of workers attending to the repairs that might otherwise have been delayed again. Fresh coats of paint were applied to buildings. New signage and decorations had been prepared which showed the new Royal Cipher, one which looked so very different from the one that had proceeded it. New postage stamps showing the King's profile went on sale as the stocks which showed the profile of the late Queen ran out; the first one that Nick saw, on a letter from Miss Frobisher to them all, gave him quite a shock…
By the time that the first day of August arrived, with only a week to go until the momentous day, the city was looking at its best; as the global media descended en masse on the streets, much comment was made on the efforts that had been made to rejuvenate not just the areas around the Abbey and Palace, but every square yard of the great metropolis.
That day was also the one on which Nick, Jeff and Wes would leave the West Village to head across the Atlantic once again; their early departure was down to the fact that Jeff needed time before the main event to access both the monarch and his family, and also to visit the locations to get background drawings prepared. They had elected to leave the West Village house in the more than capable hands of Thad; he had decided that he wanted to spend some quality time with his brother, sister-in-law and nephew, and having a house to stay in meant that was easy. He could also catch up with all of his New York based friends too.
The bonus for Niff was that Caleb did not have to endure an empty house again, nor did they need to establish a rota of people to both feed him and keep him entertained. Fortunately, Caleb was fond of Thad, and that made it easy for his blond owner to leave the country, knowing that the Head Warbler would take good care of his cat.
The hotel accommodation that the Palace had procured for them was also excellent, being located in St James, halfway between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace; it was ideal for Jeff, and good for Nick and Wes too, as it made the ideal central base for exploring when the artist was occupied with his drawing.
As it happened, they were not the only people flying that day; indeed, Pam Anderson had been booked onto the same flight. This was down in part to the blond, who had been confided in by Cooper that his mom was still feeling nervous about the whole thing. He had made a quick call to his friend, the Princess of Wales, and that ensured that not only was she booked to travel on the same flight, but in seats alongside the Sterling-Duval family; she was also booked into the same hotel. That way she had familiar faces nearby, people she could talk to if it all got too much…
She would not start her role until the Tuesday, and that was also the case for Jeff, so Nick had tentatively suggested that they could see a little of the city together on Monday when they arrived. It would be an introduction to the city and country, one which would make her task the following day, when she became the woman that would ensure that the Queen Consort looked her best throughout the big week, a lot easier. The fact that Wes seemed at ease around Pam was also a great help, and Nick did not mind when his son asked if he could sit next to her during the first part of their overnight flight. For her part, she was happy to listen to him as he chattered animatedly about London, and how much he was looking forward to catching up with the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales…
"They have to live in a castle now, which must be fun at times, but then they also have all of the visitors coming in and out, especially in the summer, and that must be hard to deal with… Their mum and dad must be much busier now too that they are the Prince and Princess of a whole country. I am really glad that my dad and papa are just normal people," he mused, which made Pam smile. Then he went on, "Not that Kate and William aren't normal people really, but they have staff and drivers, which we don't…"
"I would think that like a lot of people that have staff to help them with every little thing, they probably have a lot of days when they wish they had none," replied Pam.
"George goes to a really exclusive school now too, the same one that his dad and his Uncle Harry went to, although he is able to come home at night. I suppose that Eton is like a really posh version of Dalton Academy in a way… Of course, if I was to go to Dalton like my dad and papa, I wouldn't be able to come home every night, as it is too far away. However, it seems like it is a really good school, and my Uncle Thad and Uncle Bazzy would be there, so I might go there, when I am old enough…"
Pam smiled at him, and said, "My son liked it when he was there too, but sometimes being far away from your family can be hard when you are still fairly young…"
Meanwhile, in the row in front, Nick and Jeff were looking at each other, having overheard every word; they had always known that there was a possibility that their son would follow in their footsteps and attend Dalton, but it was something that they had never discussed, so far off in the future had it seemed. Now that their son was mentioning it as a possibility himself, the notion seemed much more real…
Wes would return to his allocated seat beside Jeff when the time came to try and get some sleep. He had protested that he wasn't tired, but within a few minutes of the lights being dimmed he was asleep, and his papa followed suit just minutes after that. As was so often the case, however, Nick could not sleep; his head was throbbing as it seemed to do on every long-haul flight, not that he would ever tell Jeff that was the case. He would be concerned, and Nick knew that it was simply down to the change in air pressure and the constant low humming noise that came from the engines.
Beside him, Pam was also wakeful, pondering still how something like this could have happened to her, and worse yet, the fact that her name would be all over the media; that was something that she was a little afraid of. She had not had any sort of contact with her ex-husband Jonathan since the divorce had been finalised, and the fact that he was unwelcome to the authorities in New York too had helped no end in keeping him well away from her and Cooper too…
What her son did not know was that he had written to her a few time, care of Bloomingdales, the last letter having arrived back in December, when she had been all over the media when she had first performed as a make-up advisor to the Queen Consort. She had not mentioned it to Cooper, although given some of the nasty things he had said in the missive, she had promised herself that she would tell him at once if he wrote again.
Now she was leaving the safety of New York, and there was nothing to stop him hopping on a plane and heading to the United Kingdom if he found out that she was working there during the Coronation. This time the words would not be posted, but potentially delivered personally over the phone, or even in person. That threat was an added bit of stress that she did not need and what was worse, if he turned up at the hotel then potentially Nick, Jeff and their son would be dragged into all of it…
Nick noticed that Pam was awake and said quietly so as not to disturb those around them, "I take it that you struggle to sleep on flights too?"
Pam smiled at him, and said, "In all honesty, it wasn't a problem back in the day, but it has been a long time since I travelled long-haul. Maybe it is a case of my body getting older and becoming less tolerant of these kind of journeys. Of course, the stress of where I am going and why doesn't help."
"There could be something in that last bit. I still vividly recall the day that Jeff came home to the house we were living in in London whilst I was doing my year's work there for the UN and he told me quite casually who he had met in Kensington Palace gardens, and where we had subsequently been invited that weekend. We all kind of know how we would act if we were to meet our own President, but royalty is a whole other thing, because there are so many layers of protocol built up over the centuries…"
Pam chuckled at that, and replied, "I have had a long conversation with the Queen Consort's private secretary, who advised me exactly what I need to do when I meet her husband, the King, for the first time. I spent some time at home and in front of poor Grace practising my curtsey, as it is a very long time since I need to perform one! Of course, when it is just the Queen Consort and I, things will be a lot less formal. It is the whole idea of being in the company of the whole family that worries me, along with the fact that billions of people will be looking at my handiwork…"
"I think that if the lady herself is satisfied, then you should ignore all of the rest."
Pam nodded, then went on, "I also find myself wondering how Blaine would be feeling about all of this. I know that both he and Kurt had a fondness for the Royal Family, although with Kurt it was much more pronounced. I have the feeling that he would be more than a little envious of me and the position I am in."
"He would probably have volunteered to assist you, and not taken no for an answer, let's be honest," quipped Nick, and Pam laughed, because she knew that he was right. Having spoken about her worries, she did feel a little better, and so she decided she should try and sleep again; this time when she closed her eyes, she found herself able to doze off. Beside her, Nick smiled, but knew that he was unlikely to have the same luck; he found a movie that he could watch, and tried his best to ignore the pounding in his head and follow the plot…
Back in the West Village, Thad was also having trouble in getting to sleep that night, but he knew exactly why. His little apartment at Dalton was peaceful and quiet, and here in the city he was troubled by the constant noise from the nearby streets. He sighed as he lay there but made no move to get up or try any new technique; he just lay there and attempted to relax. He had been feeling more fatigued recently, a long day in the classroom and taking care of the boys in his house leaving him exhausted, something that it had never done before…
He panicked momentarily when he suddenly felt the mattress sink next to him but calmed down the moment that he smelt the distinctive cologne that his angelic husband had favoured in life, and now in death. "When I first came to stay in New York, with Nick, Jeff and Sebastian over in the Bushwick loft, I found the noise kept me awake too, although all the tension as we waited for Hunter to be put on trial didn't exactly help matters. I was lucky though that it was winter then, whereas you have the extra bonus of it being so humid…"
Thad smiled, and said, "It is warm, but then it is just as warm back in Ohio right now; it is the airlessness here that is the problem, I think. At home, I could open the window to let in a breeze and hear nothing but the noise of nature; here I would admit dust and the sound of traffic and sirens. I don't think that I would ever be able to live here full-time…"
"Well, my little one, if you can't sleep then perhaps you should just snuggle up next to me; we can take advantage of having this time alone together without any disturbance…"
Thad smiled and allowed himself to be spooned by his angelic husband, and at once he felt all of the tension leave his body. Suddenly the noise of the city disappeared almost entirely, as if somehow Wes wrapping himself around him came with a soundproofing effect. He sighed in utmost contentment, and allowed his eyes to close, feeling so safe in his husband's arms. Wes had of course known exactly what would happen, and he smiled as he heard Thad's breathing become calm and regular, knowing that he would soon be asleep. He did not know why, but recently he had started to feel concerned for his husband's wellbeing and health. Thad said that he was fine, but his replies did not seem honest to the angel…
Across in Brooklyn, Sam Evans was also awake that night, but that was because he had not even tried to go to bed yet; he had an overnight flight of his own to catch the following day. The filming of the English based episodes of his sitcom was taking place over the Coronation period, which was later than they had all originally expected. Ms Kudrow had decided that it would be a shame not to take advantage of the atmosphere in London to film the episodes being set at the same time. It had seemed logical to them all that having not been back in the United Kingdom for the funeral of the Queen, Clive would wish to go home for the crowning of the new monarch instead… To keep costs down, the episode would only feature Darrin and Clive from the main cast of characters, the rest of the characters in the episode being the family and friends of the Englishman, all being played by British actors.
Sam would be travelling to London on his own; the offer to join them had been extended to his wife, but Rachel had been cast in a new play and would be in the last week of her rehearsals, so would be unable to join him, much to her regret; Sam had the funny feeling that she would have liked the date of the Coronation to be moved so she could travel with them, but that was set in stone…
He had played down the ability of Lawrence to be able to travel with Adam when she had asked too, pointing out that he was a student doctor, and he would struggle to take so much time out even during what was for most college students the summer vacation. She had taken his word for it, because there was no point in telling her that he had booked the time off months earlier and would be spending time with Adam's family, getting to know them better, whilst his fiancé and Sam were filming their scenes in the city…
As for Lawrence, he too was awake and currently on a night shift at the hospital, his last until he returned from London in a fortnight's time. He was looking forward to his second trip to the United Kingdom in a year, but he had to admit that he was also feeling a little more nervous about it all as well. This time round he would be on his own with the Crawford family for much more of the time, although Nick had suggested that he could arrange to do things with him and Wes in the run up to the Coronation as well, which did give him an out if it all got too much for him. Adam had promised him that his family would be pleased to give him a tour of the less tourist orientated but interesting sights of London, but he had now discovered that it would be his grandmother that would be escorting him. He had got on well enough with Joan, but she would be taking things at a slower pace than he might have expected.
Still, he was looking forward to seeing the hidden gems that the tourists eschewed to concentrate on the more popular and hence overcrowded locations. There would of course be no Crown Jewels to see at the Tower of London, as they would be placed into use at Westminster Abbey on Saturday; the area around both that ancient church and Buckingham Palace would be like fortresses with the extra security, so they would not be of interest to many, so the other key venues would be even more crowded, so the idea of being elsewhere really appealed to the young doctor.
He did not yet know exactly what he and Adam would be doing on the day of the ceremony itself; it was in the script that Clive and Darrin would be in the centre of London to watch the procession, but the decision had yet to be taken whether they would seek out extras and film the day before when there was scheduled to be a daytime rehearsal of the procession back to the Palace, or if they would film on the day itself, taking advantage of the spot that the network on which the show was broadcast had been allocated for its news coverage. Adam favoured the former, as it would be more practical and allow him to spend the actual day with his family, but there was tight security around everything on the route of the procession, so a film crew might not be easy to accommodate.
If there was one person that envied Lawrence his trip to London more than most then it was the redoubtable Nurse Crane; she had booked the day off as soon as it was announced and would be hosting an early morning gathering at her home to mark the event. That was no substitute however for being there in person, and so the young man had promised to take lots of photos of the city and hopefully of the procession itself.
There was one plan that Adam had been able to set in stone, however, and that was for the day after the ceremony; the filming done, he would be taking Lawrence onto the Eurostar train and whisking him off for a night in Paris, the great city of love…
In Washington DC, nobody was awake amongst the circle of friends. As Burt would not be required to make any public speeches whilst he was in London, there would be no need for Rory to travel with him and Carole, but that did not mean that he and Trent would be staying in the August heat of the capital. The latter had also negotiated time off at the time of the Coronation, and he would be flying with his husband and children to Dublin, which would allow them to spend some time with Rory's nana…
Agnes was still going strong, showing no sign whatsoever of slowing down, sitting down and keeping her thoughts and observations to herself for the sake of tact. She was greatly looking forward to them coming over and had been most pleased when they informed her that they had decided to rent an apartment to stay in over the long weekend in Dublin, which would have a bedroom that she could come and stay in as well; as a result of that, she would be able to spend the maximum amount of time with them all. There would be day trips to the country as long as the weather was kind to them, and to the beach as well, places that the children would certainly enjoy. They were also looking forward to the chance to have a catch up with Sister Mary Agnes, who had been struck down with bronchitis back in late February; she had been forced into her bed for a while, but she was now back to her usual spot in the Cathedral assisting visitors.
There would of course be none of the frenzy around the Coronation in Dublin, with no celebration taking place; indeed, it would not be on any of the main television channels, unlike the situation in the six counties in the north of the island. That actually suited them. However, they both knew that Rory's work phone had to be on in case Burt needed him in an emergency and his laptop would be an essential on any trip they made. The same was true of Trent's work phone, but unless there was a major crisis of a global scale, it was highly unlikely that he would be called; if such an event did occur after 7pm in Washington, then he would be off the contact list entirely on the President's own instructions. He believed that his staff were entitled to holidays and should not be called in the early hours of the morning whilst on them in any case.
As for Burt and Carole, there initial worry and reservations about the trip had largely ebbed away. It had meant that they both required new outfits; an appropriate formal suit for Burt, with new shoes that he had been breaking in for the last month, although he had to admit that they had been comfortable from day one. He had not liked the price one bit when an angelic voice had whispered in his ear that they were the ones, but Kurt had assured him that they would be worth it, and a month in, Burt had to concede that his son was right.
As for Carole, she had been to see the very exclusive dressmaker that was used by the First Lady and the Vice-President, and had a new ensemble that was entirely suitable for a Coronation, another for the main evening reception that they would attend on the Thursday night, and finally one for the day after the Coronation, when they had been invited to attend the concert in the grounds of Windsor Castle. If she had to be honest, that was the event she was looking forward to the most, as there would be some very big-name artists performing for the newly crowned monarch. Nobody that had been asked had declined, nobody willing to miss the chance to be part of something so major.
Carole also knew that Pam Anderson had been invited to visit the Vogue closet by Isabelle, and the two of them had spent time selecting the most suitable attire for Pam to wear during the days she would be working for the Queen Consort. It was smart and stylish, as she would not be the centre of anyone's attention, being firmly in the background most of the time. That was a position that Carole would have been most happy to be in herself.
As the Hummels had prepared to head to London, Isabelle Wright had also been doing the same in New Jersey. As the editor, she had to ensure that Vogue had the best possible coverage of the event, and that it was both broad and accurate. She had one advantage over those based in the London offices of the magazine and indeed her American rivals; she had access to Pam Anderson, whose stock as a make-up expert had gone stratospheric as soon as news of her involvement with the Coronation had emerged...
From what Isabelle had heard from her own independent sources, it was now impossible to obtain a consultation with her at Bloomingdales until mid-2028, and she had been receiving offers from the other major stores in the city to come and work for them, involving huge pay rises… She had declined all of them; Bloomingdales had given her a role when she first came to the city, when all of those stores would not, favouring younger women, and if there was one thing that could be said about Pam these days, it was that she was staunch and loyal.
Of course, there was also her other secret weapon, an angelic assistant in the form of Kurt Hummel, who could, with some assistance from his husband Blaine, access places that no human could at that time…
At the last minute she had made a change to her original plan to travel alone. She continued with the plan to leave Gideon in the office in Manhattan, to be her eyes and ears as to what was going on there, but she would now be travelling with Julian, Peter and Sienna. She had also extended an invitation to Peter's girlfriend Constance, but she had declined it with much regret, as like Lawrence, she had hospital work to complete whilst her fellow students enjoyed a summer vacation. The last time that they had travelled as a family to London had been to attend Sebastian's command performance for the late Queen; now they would be in the city as her son was officially crowned her successor. Of course, this time the actor would be absent. Sienna would be more aware of her surroundings this time, and Peter was now of an age where he had permission to explore on his own…
There would be two more members of the circle of friends that would be in London over the Coronation weekend, and they were Artie Abrams and his wife Kitty. With one James Bond film completed and successful, he was now scouting locations for the next film, which was to be set in the United Kingdom at the time of the King's Coronation. It therefore made perfect sense for him to be there before the actual ceremony and film the city as it prepared for the event, that footage being invaluable in producing the kind of accuracy in the shots that they would take later when actually making the movie.
At first, it had looked as if Artie, like Isabelle, would make the journey alone, as his co-director was staying in the United States, her main task to oversee the construction of the sets that they would use for the interior of the lair of the villain, and Kitty had the children to take care of, as well as her own business to run; she had been increasingly successful in recent months, and it was a delight to them both…
That was until Artie's mother had heard what was going to happen and had offered to step up and assist. At first she had offered to travel with him to London, but he knew that would get him attention of the wrong kind, so he had declined and thus was unable to refuse her second suggestion, which was that she come to New York and take care of the children, thus permitting Kitty to travel with her husband instead. After all, in the world of the internet, she could run her business as easily from a London hotel room as her office at home in the West Village…
Kitty had briefly argued against it, but then she had to concede that her mother-in-law did have a valid point, and it was only for a few nights… Artie was of course glad that she had been persuaded to come, as no married man in his thirties really wishes to travel globally with his mother at his side, and especially not when he had a surprise for his wife up his sleeve. He had not told her, but he had been sent two tickets to the pre-Coronation ball at Buckingham Palace on the Thursday night. His only difficulty had been in trying to pack her most favoured evening dress, matching coat and accessories, including shoes, in his own luggage without her finding out he had done it. He was also slightly dreading someone inspecting his bag and finding it, and thinking he wore them…
There would be other changes of course in the West Village street over that weekend. The first of the new generation of former Warblers that would share the house adjacent to Nick and Jeff's home would be moving in. Drew had been entrusted with the keys and the task of welcoming them, giving them the introductory tour as well. Thad had offered to assist him in his task, for which he was equally grateful, as there had been changes at home and in indeed in the apartment above his own in the last month…
Ethan was currently out of town, his father having suffered a stroke in the middle of July. He had been left with a partial paralysis on his left side, and there had been an affect on his speech as well, and that was what had worried Ethan's mother the most. She had been unable to devote the usual level of attention to the day to day running of Mackenzie Inc, and Ethan had known that he had to step up; it was his duty and destiny. He was now deeply involved in the running of the family business for the first time, albeit strictly on a temporary basis. His employer was more than understanding about the situation, knowing that the day would come, and had offered him a sabbatical, telling him only to return to the job that would be waiting for him when he knew that his mother would be able to return to her desk fully.
When that would be was still very much up in the air, although he had told Drew the previous night that his father was progressing marvellously, confounding the doctors. Drew was glad for that, and he had hopes that Ethan would be back in town the following week, as that was when Lucy's grandmother would be coming to visit. He had to admit that he was missing his best friend, as was Evie, and the fact that Ethan was not at home was only being tempered for her by the fact that she had someone new in the building to chat to…
She had arrived to stay at the start of the month in the apartment upstairs. Everyone in the street had welcomed Beats' youngest niece, but exactly why she was there and would now be living with her uncle was a mystery to them all…