Preparation and a Vacation.

News of Nick and Jeff's impending return to Europe spread fast; Sebastian had to laugh as he realised just how good his old pal François had become at keeping secrets these days. He had always struggled to keep his mouth shut when he had been living in Paris. He was more than a little jealous of his two friends; his elevation to Elder Price meant that his time was being consumed at a great rate, and he would not be able to take a long break for the foreseeable future. Dave was busy too, so it wouldn't have been practical for them to take a long holiday anyway. He had still managed to book himself a couple of days off from the show - firstly so that he and Dave could spend a couple of nights at the beach house in Port Jefferson together; and secondly so that he could attend his half-brother's official and very public wedding to Isabelle. He would be glad when that had taken place, and there was no longer the risk that he would say something out of turn and reveal the truth. He had called Isabelle his sister-in-law when he was chatting with Jenny after his first night, but she had just looked at him curiously, before dismissing it as a premature slip of the tongue, fortunately.

The wedding was scheduled for the Monday after Nick and Jeff returned from Europe, with both of them invited to the nuptials, naturally. It was also two days after Mercedes would be playing Madison Square Gardens. Sebastian had been forced to decline her offer of a ticket for himself, knowing that he would be working, but Dave would be going in the company of Grace and Sam. In any case, Mercedes had agreed to sing at Julian and Isabelle's wedding, so he would hear her magnificent voice anyway. He knew that his nephew Peter was looking forward to that moment too; he would be coming of course, and would be staying with his mom at a hotel. Isabelle had had no qualms in inviting her to the ceremony, and to everyone's delight, she had accepted the opportunity to attend what was promising to be the big American wedding of the year; worldwide it had of course been eclipsed by the one between the Prince and the actress in Windsor…

That was all still to come; before it could happen, there were still any number of things that had to be done by both Julian and Isabelle to ensure that the big event went as smoothly as possible. With Vogue's own photographers, and a number of other members of the press expected to be in attendance, Isabelle was very keen to ensure that absolutely everything was perfect, and as good as her real wedding day had been. The benefit of working for the world's leading fashion magazine was that she had access to the best stylists and designers, all of whom were only too happy to assist for the chance to get a few words in the right ears.

Her dress was stunning, and she had told everyone that it had been designed for her by a person that could only be described as her 'guardian angel.' Kurt had been insistent that he had to design it, and when she saw his sketches, she had to agree that it could be done by no-one else. The usual subterfuge had then ensued, and it had been enough to work; to convince people that it had merely been inspired by the KEH Collection.

The catering was sorted, and the venue was beautiful. She had of course snubbed the overtures of the Rainbow Room, conscious of what they had done to her future brother-in-law on his second wedding day. As for Julian, he had been more than relieved when the letter had arrived from his father to decline his kind invitation. It did upset him a little that neither of his parents would be there to see him marry officially, but the idea of the two of them being in the same room, and with photographers present; well that was a disaster waiting to happen. He wanted his wedding day to be remembered for the beauty of his bride, not the arrest of his father for bigamy. In any case, his dad was keeping a low profile these days, after the debacle with Nick's dad; plus he had to deal with the repair work that his new home in the Virgin Islands needed after the storms… His mom was a different kettle of fish, but he knew there could be no official photos released with her in them; all it would take would be for one person to recognise her…

Nick and Jeff's return to Europe promised to be very different in nature to their first visit. This time they were going as a married couple with no friends to keep them company - that was both a good and a bad thing. They would also be better able to avoid the pitfalls of their first sojourn, with a guarantee that there would be no repeat of the infamous incident with the special cake. They had both smiled politely when Santana had jokingly told them to be sure to stay away from all such confections this time, before agreeing to ask François if she had done anything outrageous on her honeymoon trip. They would also be leaving a far bigger home this time, with it being unattended for most of the day, and of course, they were also leaving behind a cat. Caleb hadn't even been thought of back in that summer, but this time he was Jeff's primary concern.

Mike was still living with them, as Tina would not be arriving in the city until July, so he knew that his little friend would be kept in the standard to which he had become accustomed first thing in the morning and last thing at night, but he would be left to fend for himself for the remainder of the day. Jeff had refused to even contemplate the notion of a cattery; no matter how wonderful they sounded in the brochure, he saw them as akin to the horrendous summer camps some kids ended up in. No matter how luxurious they looked, they could easily be run by cruel people that wanted to make the cats subservient and weak… Instead, Jeff headed to the house next door, and asked the six young men living there if between them someone could check up on Caleb at lunchtime at the very least; better yet, pop in and out during the day. They had to concede that there would always be at least one of them at home, and agreed to do as their landlord asked. With that settled, Caleb could remain in the house, as 'guard cat' as Jeff put it to Nick. Personally, Nick was of the opinion that Caleb would let anyone in if they brought treats and catnip…

As these things were being sorted out in NYC, over in L.A. David was preparing to head off on tour with Mercedes. The advantage of his job with Google was that he could work from home, or on the move, so it had been no problem to get the necessary three weeks off so that he could follow his girlfriend's tour through the south, centre and east of the country, with a brief diversion into Canada. Then it would be back home for her final show at the Hollywood Bowl. Her career had come on in leaps and bounds recently, and after that grand finale, she would have a couple of months before she embarked on a series of gigs in Australasia, the Far East and Europe. David would not be able to join her for that tour, but he was sure that she would be fine, as she had assembled an excellent team to look out for her. He had met the majority of them, and most had long experience in the business; others were new to the scene, but all of them had been chosen by her as they shared her drive and ambition. To say that she was still nervous about the tour would have been an understatement of the facts, but she knew that this was her big chance to show the world what she could do, given a microphone. She had met some of her living heroes over the last few months, and they had all assured her that the tour would be a doddle for her vocally; but it was still her first big one, and there was so much that could potentially go wrong if she wasn't careful. She had said as much to her tour manager, but he had just told her to relax, as he had everything in hand.

On that particular day, her manager told her to go and have lunch with David, and as he was working from home, he had told her to come over and he would make some. She had agreed, and they had just sat down at the table to eat when it happened. At first they paid it no heed, but then it intensified; books flew off shelves and a picture fell from the wall with a crash. The earthquake was the strongest that either of them had felt in their time living in the city, and it left them both a little fearful. In the aftermath, David walked from room to room, looking for damage; apart from two minor cracks in the walls, several pictures having fallen down, the bookcase needing to be restocked and a solitary tile having been dislodged from the roof, all was fine.

"Well, I don't know if that was a good or bad omen for the tour," said Mercedes when they sat at the table to eat again; David was thankful he had made a cold lunch.

"I think we can take it as a sign, yes," he replied, "that you will bring the house down in every city that you play in…"

Mercedes laughed, and then on a more serious note, said, "I think that it would be wise for all of us to brush up on our drill for a quake. It was drummed in to me daily when I first arrived, but now I have forgotten what the correct things are to do."

"I think that it is very much stay indoors to avoid being hit by flying debris, ideally in a strong part of the structure, such as a doorway. Then when it is safe, best to check for tsunami warnings, or for signs of one if near the ocean. Get to higher ground quickly if you see them," replied David. Mercedes nodded, then decided that she would ask him to have a chat with Jake and Unique about that, just in case another quake came along whilst they were out of town.

No-one really paid much attention to the earthquake that had hit L.A. at the end of May, it having done no major damage to the city. David did have his talk with Jake and Unique as he had promised Mercedes that he would before they left for the tour. He had wished that he had no need to do so, but he had heard from the older residents in the neighbourhood that quakes usually came along in pairs at the very least, and he did not want to feel guilty if one came along whilst he was out of town and something happened to his two roommates. He embarked on the tour with his girlfriend with an easy conscience, knowing full well that the gossip columns would pick up on his presence. Mercedes did not mind all the extra attention, even if some in the record company felt it might have been better to have kept him away, and give people the illusion that she was single. For her part, Mercedes told them that true fans of her voice would not care if she had a partner or not, and in any case, David was always in a separate room.

The fact was that he was as much of a part of her tour family as all the backing singers, dancers and technical crew. He was also a useful source of impartial advice when it came to how things should be set up for her shows. This was helpful as her nerves began to creep in; after all, the venues were all big and she was singing a lot of new material. Her first show however proved that she had no need to be worried, with the crowd cheering for more at the end, and the reviewers being exceptionally praising in their reports. As one of them stated, the music scene had a new star, a diva with a very special voice, who was set to sweep all else away when her true potential was finally realised…

On the same night as her first show, Nick and Jeff boarded their flight to Paris, travelling in premium economy. They might have a bit of money, Nick would be the first to say, but that didn't mean that they were prepared to pay through the nose for a few more inches of legroom and a slightly better meal. They both managed to get some sleep on the flight, and as a result they were bright eyed on their arrival in Paris. François did not come to meet them as they knew where they were going, and it gave him time to prepare them a proper welcome lunch. Their first day in the city was spent catching up on each other's news, and then meeting up with Luc and Jean-Marc in the evening. Even in Paris there was talk about The Judging Angel, and Jeff found himself blushing quite often as his praises were sung by his old friends. François was equally pleased that he had kept the sketch that Jeff had drawn of him all those years ago, and he had now gone as far as to have it framed, so that he could always state that he had a Jeff Sterling-Duval original. That made Nick shake his head, although he did realise that all of those little sketches that his husband had created over the years would be worth money one day if his fame continued to grow.

The next three days were spent between the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, admiring the vast collection of art that was shared between the two venues. Nick had come to be almost as appreciative of art as his husband, but he also took in all of the architectural features of the buildings. He therefore didn't mind how long they stayed in each gallery, plus he had the satisfaction of knowing that he had fulfilled his promise to his husband that they would return. On the third night he kept another promise, and they shared dinner at the restaurant high up on the Eiffel Tower, where both the setting and the food were perfect. Whilst they were in the city, they also had time to talk, and they agreed on the identity of the first person they would ask to be their surrogate, and on what they would wish to call their child. All of Nick's doubts had left him now, and he was more than ready to set the process in motion.

The next stage of their trip involved them travelling to Venice, and that was where Nick had spent a little money so that they could travel in style. He had not told Jeff quite how they would travel to the other city in Europe that claimed it was the most romantic, and he assumed they would be flying. So when Nick had told them that they would be going for a walk then dinner on their last night in the city, he had agreed with no inkling of what was going to happen. He was unaware that the moment that they left, François would be right behind them with their packed bags, hastening them across the city.

Jeff was still completely in the dark as they entered the Gare de L'Est, and he could only shake his head as Nick pointed out the train, and then hastened him over towards it. Jeff had to admit that it looked so grand, and he wondered when it was due to depart, and if he had time to draw a sketch. He was still thinking this as Nick walked up to the guard, and pulled out their passports and what looked suspiciously like tickets. Then as his mind started to wonder what was going on, François was suddenly there, with their luggage, and wishing them a safe trip…

"Nicky! Are we really going to be travelling on…" Jeff began, his voice high with excitement.

"The Orient Express? I decided that it was the best way to travel from Paris to Venice and would make for a memorable experience. That was one why I was so insistent that we packed before our walk, my love. François was in on the whole thing, and I think he is just a little jealous…" replied Nick.

"That is true; I mean, if you do not wish to go, Jeff, then I will take your place," said François jokingly.

"No chance, François! This is just… it's wonderful! Will there be a murder?" blurted out Jeff. There was a moment of silence, then they all laughed.

"I sincerely hope not," Nick responded with a smile. Then, having said their farewells to François, Nick took his husband's hand, and they walked back in time to a train that was redolent of the glamour of the world of the 1920s…

They were shown to their cabin on the train by a smartly uniformed steward; they found that whilst they had been saying their goodbyes to François, their cases had been brought to the cabin, and now waited there along with a bottle of champagne, and reservations for dinner at 8pm, just shortly after the train was due to depart from Paris. Seeing them made Jeff suddenly conscious of what he was wearing; he looked up and then whispered to his husband in a low voice, "I don't think that either of is properly dressed for dinner on this train, Nicky. I think that if we turn up dressed like this they will throw us out of the dining car, and possibly off the train altogether."

"Don't worry about that, my love," said Nick with a smile, "I already ensured that we would fit in perfectly." With that he stepped over to his case and extracted a suit bag from it. He opened it to reveal that he had packed their wedding suits, complete with the shirts and bowties. "This is also why I was so insistent that you packed a smart pair of shoes…"

"I did wonder about that, but then I thought it was because we were going to go and see all the paintings at the Vatican, and that they had a strict dress code. Of course, these suits are perfect, because they are from the period; now all we need to do is style our hair, and we will blend right in…"

They got changed quickly, fastening the studs on each other's collar as they had done on their wedding day, fixing bowties and then dealing with their hair, Nick's left shiny and in place with pomade, Jeff's tied back with a ribbon then given the same treatment on top. They finished just as the whistle was blown and the train began to steam out of the station, gathering speed quickly as it began its journey out of France in the direction of Italy. The steward then returned to announce that it was time for them to head to dinner, and as he left, he complemented them both on the standard of their dress. The same happened with the maitre'd as they arrived in the dining car, where they quickly saw that they were easily the youngest people on the passenger list. They settled at their table, and after exchanging warm greetings with the older couple sitting across the aisle, they awaited a meal that turned out to be quite a gastronomic feast. They were so absorbed in their meal and each other that they did not notice the two angels observing them from the door with a wistful look on their faces. After all, there was no Orient Express in heaven, and both Kurt and Blaine wished that they were sitting where their friends were now; the whole scenario just spoke of the kind of romance they loved…

After a good night's sleep in their bunks, managing to cope eventually with not being side by side, though that was largely down to Jeff's excitement at being given the top bunk, they headed back to the dining car for breakfast just as the train stopped in Innsbruck. To go to sleep in one country and wake up in another was quite special, and all the more so when you did so on such a historic train. Fortunately there had been no death in the night, no snowdrift to run into, and hence no need for a Belgian detective to come and interrogate them over breakfast. Whilst they ate, their cabin was made up again, and they returned to find that their bunks had been returned to seats. They took a seat by the window and watched as the landscape changed as the train journeyed on, changing from mountains to lowlands, and then finally, the train began to move slowly along a causeway that would take the train into the city of Venice.

On their arrival, the steward informed them that he had made arrangements for their bags to be transferred to their hotel near St Mark's Square, which meant that they were able to begin exploring at once. "I think that if I could, I would travel like this all the time," observed Jeff. "No hassle, no trying to find a taxi, or get on a bus or a train after retrieving your case from a carousel. It is wonderful…" Nick nodded, but knew that when he found out the cost, his husband would blanch at the thought of doing it all the time; it was okay for a treat though.

Of course, there were no taxis as such to catch outside the station in Venice; instead there were Vaparetto, heading to various places in the water based city. As ever, Nick had done his research and knew exactly which one they needed; he also knew that his husband would need to sketch the scene before him first, so he stood and took photos at his side as he waited, including a few candid shots of his husband at work. Eventually they were climbing on board one of the boats, and heading off through the canals into the city proper, its charms immediately entrancing the pair of them. The absence of cars, trucks and buses had allowed the city to retain its narrow streets and hence the tightly packed buildings that lined them, many of them unaltered at least from the outside from the time they were constructed. Jeff had taken Nick's camera and was shooting shot after shot, given that there was no time to stop and sketch on the water.

It took a short while to reach their destination, from where they could walk a short way and by using the Rialto Bridge would quickly reach St Mark's Square and their hotel. It was a slow walk though, as Nick had known it would be, but not just because every so often Jeff would want to pause and sketch something that caught his eye; here, Nick found himself pausing just to look from time to time. It was immediately apparent why the whole city was deemed worthy of heritage status, and that there was so much concern globally on the impact that rising sea levels would have on the city that was slowly sinking. He was grateful too that the large cruise ships that had once loomed over the city as they docked were no longer permitted to come so close. The city was built on a very human scale, and that was why it was so perfect.

When they finally emerged out onto the wide, busy piazza that was St Mark's Square, Nick's feet just stopped, and he found himself captivated, just standing and staring in awe at the scene.

"It is all so wonderful, Nicky!" whispered Jeff at his side. "I am so glad that we are here on our own together; it really is the most romantic place on earth. Paris has nothing on this!"

"Yeah, but we never tell François that," Nick replied, and taking his hand, Jeff nodded in solemn agreement.

Their hotel was just a short stroll from the bustle of the square. It was not a grand, luxurious five star affair; instead, Nick had chosen that they stay in a hotel with character. Having been built in the 16th century, it certainly had that in spades; from the moment that they walked in, they were greeted and treated with a level of warmth that was so often missing in more superior hotels. Their room was small, but it was well appointed and in the style of the city and the period. Their cases were waiting for them, and they unpacked quickly, before freshening up and heading out once more into the city. Nick had done his best and had managed to learn a little Italian, but he was glad to discover that the staff all spoke good English. They managed between them to get directions to a good restaurant for dinner, and to obtain the services of one of the staff to carefully press and repack their suits.

Then it was back out into the bustle of the city; they had timed it well, as it happened, as they reached the Bell Tower of St Mark's at a moment when there was only a short line. They headed up the stairs to take in the vista across the city, spread out below them on its many islands. There were no higher buildings to obstruct their view, and the views across to the mainland and down the Adriatic were clear in the brilliant sunshine. They took numerous photos before they headed back down to the square itself, where Jeff began to sketch the tower and the basilica behind it from a convenient spot. Nick had agreed to appear in the drawing, sitting and studying his guidebook in the calm of a traffic free city. With Jeff's sketch done, there was time to head inside the basilica itself, a building of such breathtaking beauty that it made them both smile broadly. It reminded them a little of the Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre, but the decoration of the centuries older building here was far superior.

"It all looks so fresh and new, but this building had been here since the time that the city was the main centre of trade and exploration in Europe," Jeff whispered, clearly in awe of what he saw. "This was here in the time of Marco Polo, and the Silk Road; this was here in the era of the great artists…"

"We often forget just how new all of our great buildings and monuments are back home. We think of something that dates back to the 18th century as old; there are some buildings here that date back nearly a millennium," replied Nick. "These are the monuments of a rich, prosperous merchant city; a Venice of the elite in a world of disjointed princely states. That money and power may have largely gone, but it has left such a cultural legacy to the following generations; historic buildings, great traditions, and a culture that is without equal elsewhere. But all of this is so fragile, so vulnerable to the whims of the sea…" It went without saying that as they made their way out, they made a generous donation to the restoration fund.

They ate a hearty dinner that night, experiencing Italian food in such a way as they had never seen it back home. Nick felt inspired just be reading the menu, and even more so as they ate. Jeff could almost hear the little wheels spinning in his husband's head, and anticipated that Italian food would be on the menu on many nights after they headed home. He was a little disappointed to discover that there was no Tiramisu on the dessert menu, but found that the Limoncello dessert he opted for instead was every bit as delicious. Nick had opted for the panna cotta, and in the end they swapped dessert plates. As they left the restaurant, the night was still light, and it gave them time for something else that was a quintessential part of any visit to Venice - a gondola trip. It was relaxing to lean back in the seats, side by side, as the gondolier moved the boat deftly along the canals. It was still a little strange to see just how much the canals were treated like roads, crossed by the myriad of little bridges…

By the time that they returned to their hotel, the sun had faded, and the moon and stars now illuminated the scene. It had been quite a day, starting in the luxury of what was probably the world's best known train, and ending now in a room in a hotel built on an island that was slowly sinking into the sea from which it had risen centuries before. As Jeff made use of the bathroom, Nick uploaded some of his pictures from his camera to Facebook, starting with one that the gondolier had obliged him by taking as they sat snuggled together in his boat. By the time he had loaded up his last image, the first had been liked by so many of their friends, often with a little jealous comment underneath. Flint however thanked him for helping him to decide that the city was the only place he would want to spend his honeymoon, whenever that was… Nick showed that comment to Jeff, and he had laughed, before agreeing wholeheartedly.

"This would be the perfect spot for a pair of honeymooners, and it is also a very long way from his mom…" he said. Nick had to concur on the latter; they were certainly a very long way from Kansas…

They spent the next two days exploring the relatively compact and immensely beautiful city. Jeff found that he was continually torn between stopping to draw the exterior of every building, or actually heading inside to admire the interior. In the end he started to ask Nick to take photos for him of the most interesting buildings, zooming in on certain details, thus capturing the scene at a moment in time. He could have those photos printed and blown up in scale, then use them to create his drawings of the city back home in New York. They explored the city's numerous churches, each different from the other, but all of them absolutely breathtaking and inspiring. As for the Ca'd'Oro, it was not just the most fascinating of buildings from the outside, but inside was a treasure trove of the best sculptures, bronzes and frescos created by the most famous artists the city had known. The Ca'Rezzonico, the museum dedicated to the Venice of the 18th century spoke to Nick, each room leaving him wreathed in smiles. The collections of the Accademia, covering the whole of the Venetian school of art, could have kept Jeff occupied for weeks on end, and it was no surprise to Nick when his husband emerged from the gift shop afterward with two hefty tomes detailing the entire collection.

The Palazzo Ducale, on St Mark's Square, was fascinating too, both in terms of its architecture and its history. They crossed the Bridge of Sighs, both now knowing why it was so called and began to find that the prospect of having to soon leave the wonderful city was a cause for sighs of their own. They also took a vaporetto out to the island of Murano, to visit the museum that showcased the glass that had been manufactured there over the centuries, particularly that which dated back to the 15th and 16th centuries, when the island had been the centre of glass making in Europe as a whole. Such was the beauty of the current pieces too that they decided to splurge and invest in a set of glasses, solely for special days, which they purchased and arranged to be sent directly back to New York. Of course, they also sought out masks, knowing all about the city's tradition of carnival, and the Commedia dell'Arte. They ended up with several masks, all of which they arranged to be sent home. They knew that at least one of them would be a perfect gift for Sebastian…