One Wedding, Two Engagements & a Baby.

The church had been buzzing with the noise of quiet conversation; suddenly there was complete silence, until someone turned to their husband and whispered "When did this happen? Why didn't they say?"

That was the question on everyone's lips. When had Joe and Sugar had a baby? As far as most of them knew, they weren't even married, although those that did know knew that they had been married just a little longer than Santana and Brittany. The baby though was news even to them. Nick turned round to face them and got a glimpse of the child in his father's arms; a boy just a little younger than his own son. Joe opened his mouth as if to speak, but he didn't get a chance as the bridal march began to play…

Artie gulped, and he prayed to any God that was listening that Kitty would not notice the showstopper on the way down the aisle. After all, an unknown baby was bound to steal the limelight, even from a bride. If she did notice, she might well just turn round and walk back out. It was too late to stop things now; the moment of truth was upon them, for better or for worse…

Much to Artie's relief, Kitty did not seem to even notice that Joe and Sugar had made it, let alone the fact that they had a baby with them. She was far too busy concentrating on walking down the aisle in new shoes that pinched slightly at her feet making her far less comfortable than she would have liked to be. Behind her came Marley and Tina, both of whom looked as if they had been through the wringer, not to mention several rounds in a boxing ring, in the run up to this moment. Kitty had opted for a dress without a lengthy train, which was something they were grateful for. Tina did notice Sugar, Joe and the baby, and was so busy staring that she stumbled. Marley grabbed at her to avoid a disaster, leaving all well as she also stared at the bundle in Joe's arms.

Artie wheeled himself into position at the front, disappointed just a little that he could not stand for this moment, but it just was not possible; he had dismissed the notion of having Puck and Sam hold him up between them for the duration of the ceremony the second it was suggested. If he had done that, a casual onlooker, unaware of the situation, might well have assumed that he was just drunk… In any case, Kitty had vetoed any such notion, as she was marrying Artie for who he was. The music faded away as Kitty drew level with him, and turning towards him, she stooped slightly so that he could lift her veil. As he did so, he realised that he had never seen her more radiant and enthused with joy than she was at that moment. Her dress was based on a classic design from the 1950s, decorated with stitching, and looked every inch that of a film star.

"You look so beautiful; I am the luckiest man on earth to have you, Katherine Wilde," Artie said in a whisper. Kitty smiled at the use of her full name, knowing that it would be in use a lot today, as would Arthur Abrams… She herself said nothing, but Artie could tell from her face that she approved of his expensive suit and carefully styled hair. This was the first moment of the rest of their lives, and they were both more than ready to make their journey together…

The ceremony that followed was beautiful, and fairly traditional, which came as a shock for some, who had suggested that Kitty might want Artie promising to obey at the very least. The music too was traditional, sung beautifully by the church choir. The New Directions and Warblers had been asked to sing at the reception, and that was enough for them. With no objections coming in - after all, who would even have been brave enough to suggest one at that point knowing how Kitty would react - the vows were made, and the celebrant declared them to be husband and wife to the applause of their guests. As the new Mrs Wilde-Abrams and her husband kissed as was the tradition, everyone breathed a sigh of relief that all had gone to plan. However, for two of the males in the congregation, there was still a potential cause of stress in the offing, and that could not be dealt with until after the register had been signed…

As that was taking place, music was played, and Nick took advantage of the noise to turn back round and speak to Joe. "It happened last August," the young man replied, in answer to the points that Jeff had made earlier. "It was a bit of a shock, but a good one. We have christened him Timothy, but we generally call him Tim."

"He is a handsome chap," said Nick in response, "and every bit as well behaved as little Wes. If we lived closer, then they would be good playmates, but it is a bit far to commute to Idaho."

"That is true… On a more serious note though, what we talked about at Dalton on the eve of Santana and Brittany's wedding - it still applies. I trust that is still okay with you and Jeff?"

"Naturally, of course, although I hope that we never do have to take your son in…"

The conversation ended as the bride and groom returned, and then, after a few prayers were said, it was time for the newlyweds to make their way down the aisle together. This time Kitty did notice Sugar, Joe and the bundle in his arms, and she stopped beside them. Artie braced himself for an onslaught, but to his surprise she just smiled, and just whispered, "The minute that you two get to the reception I want to know everything" to the couple.

Outside the sun was shining, and passers-by stopped to admire the bride. Alone for a moment, Kitty bent down to Artie, and hissed "I cannot believe that they have a baby! I am pleased for the two of them, naturally, and it hasn't detracted from my big day so far. So, on another note, given our groups usual habits at weddings, how many proposals can I expect to be made later?"

Artie looked at her, pleased to note she was smiling, and with a note of laughter in his voice, replied, "Only two, if you give permission for them that is. Puck and Sam."

"Permission…" said Kitty, shaking her head. "I guess that they can do, if only because it will shift focus away from us later in the day, and then I can spend my time concentrating on my new husband." She paused as she saw the look of relief on Artie's face. "You all thought I would say no. I guess I have been acting like a total bridezilla over the last few days. I might have said no a year ago, but now I have realised that the important thing in life is that everyone gets the love they deserve - and I don't particularly want to see Fabray and Berry end up as wizened old maids…"

Artie coughed at that statement, particularly as by now they were no longer alone, and to his horror he noticed that Quinn was actually in earshot. He prayed that she had not heard his new wife's words, as it would ruin Puck's proposal. They would all find out if she had or not at the reception he supposed…

The reception was being held in the function room of one of the many grand hotels that existed close to the financial centre of the city; hotels which catered for business people with expense accounts during the week, but which at the weekends were often more or less empty, devoid of business as the companies around them closed down. That was the reason that Kitty, always a shrewd bargain hunter, had chosen to marry so far downtown; that, and the fact that there were so many subway lines running through the area, as they all converged en route from Manhattan to Brooklyn. That meant that Sebastian, Cooper, Sam and Rachel could all leave the reception fairly late and still make it up to the heart of Broadway for show time at 8pm. It was that need that had Sam hurrying in the direction of the newlyweds almost the moment that he arrived at the venue. He looked at Artie with questioning eyes, but before his friend could speak, Kitty held up her hand, and spoke.

"My husband has told me what you want to do; I have considered your request carefully, and my answer is no.." She paused, watching for a moment as Sam's face fell, as all his plans fell apart; then she carried on, "..problem. After all, there always seem to be proposals at weddings amongst our circle of friends, so why not at mine too?"

As Sam's expression swung back from crestfallen to ecstatic, Artie just shook his head; then he whispered, "That was just a little bit evil, pausing like that, Mrs Wilde-Abrams. I am so glad that I have just married you, as I will get to enjoy watching you do that for the rest of our lives together…" He turned to Sam, then in a louder voice, asked, "I take it that you will want to do it before we have the dinner? It lets you get away for work sharply, and everyone that would really matter to you is already here…"

Sam nodded, then headed over to where Rachel was talking to Cooper about her new prospective show; he was doing his best to feign the degree of excitement that Rachel would expect. Beside him stood Grace, who was irritable at the best of times now thanks to her pregnancy, and was fast approaching the point, Sam observed, where civility would end and she would explode at his girlfriend. He had decided not to go for the grand gestures, the big show; at heart, he was a simple young man, and he had decided that his proposal should reflect that part of his character. Rachel had his back to him as he approached; he caught Cooper's eye, then simply sunk down on one knee behind her, the woman that he loved with all of his heart. The room fell silent as people noticed him, until only the sound of Rachel's voice could be heard. Cooper smiled as Grace gasped at his side, and waited for a pause to come…

"Err, Rachel," he began as she stopped for breath. "I think that you should turn round right now, because there appears to be something quite important going on…"

Around the room, everyone stood in silent expectation. Mercedes smiled, as she recalled all the sweet, romantic gestures he had made towards her when they had dated back in high school, and she just hoped that Rachel would appreciate this one, otherwise she might have to slap her… Things seemed to go in slow motion as Rachel turned round, and seeing no-one there, looked down. She froze as she saw him, smiling up at her from his kneeling position. "Rachel, I think that it is about time that I asked you this question, before you have your next big hit on Broadway; we have been together for a while now, and well, I think that it is time that we made it official. Rachel Barbra Berry, will you do me the great honour of accepting the role of a lifetime, and become my wife?"

As there was silence, Santana turned to Thad, who was standing next to her, and whispered "If she says no, you get the Warblers to create a distraction, and us girls will take her outside and deal with her." Thad nodded, knowing that she meant every phrase… Santana was spared the need to resort to that though, as Rachel answered yes, and allowed Sam to place the ring that he had bought, with the able assistance of two angels, on her finger.

As they embraced, Puck turned to Quinn and smiled. "Yes, I will," Quinn replied, much to his chagrin. "I am going to assume that the extra ring box in your jacket pocket contains another ring, and that it might well be for me? I know this is not the romantic moment that you imagined, but I don't need all the hearts and flowers stuff all the time. I love you, and you love me, and that is all that matters. In any case, we would never hear the end of it if we take the spotlight off Rachel now. If anyone notices that I am wearing your ring, then we will tell them, but we shall wait until tomorrow to make it official."

Puck nodded, although he still looked a little downhearted at not getting his moment to sink down on one knee in front of everyone. However, she had still said yes, and in the end, that was what was important in all of this. He pulled out the box, and with great care, removed the ring and placed it on Quinn's finger. Her face lit up as she saw the exquisite antique piece, which had again been chosen with a lot of angelic advice. "You chose well, Kurt," she said with a laugh, and as Puck shook his head, they both could hear the sound of angelic laughter in the background…

With the proposals over, and Rachel shocking them all by not demanding that she should be the centre of their attention for the rest of the event, they all settled down to celebrate the newlyweds. The food was excellent, although those that had been at the previous wedding did in some cases regret how much of the buffet they had eaten there. No-one appeared to be noticing how the mini cupcakes on one plate seemed to be vanishing, despite the fact that there was no-one anywhere near it, or that a stack of empty paper cases was growing beside it… By skill, both Thad and David were hiding the fact that a part of both of their meals was being eaten by the angel sitting between them, although there was a moment of near disaster when one of Kitty's aunts suddenly squealed, and started to tell everyone that she had just seen a fork levitate with food on the end of it, and that food had then disappeared. Kitty rose to the challenge, rounding on her at once and asking her how many drinks she had had. As the woman's drinking habits were a well known family 'secret', nobody paid any heed to her claims…

"We will have to stop," said Wes sadly, "because she is now watching this table like a hawk just waiting for something else to move on its own. I was enjoying the food so much as well…"

"You could always just head over to the dessert table and gorge yourself on cupcakes like the others," David replied, noting the platter was now empty. "I would do it fast though, as I think Kurt has just spied a dish of mini cheesecakes, and they will be gone in no time…" Wes sighed, and got up to head over to the others, where he intended to have a little discussion with them on the meaning of the terms sparingly and discreetly…

The speeches that followed the meal were all that they had expected them to be. Some of them had feared that Puck's speech might end up being a trifle rude, and would focus on things that Artie might well wish to forget. Instead, he gave a moving speech on how Artie had never let adversity get the better of him, and how he had fought constantly for his right to be treated as an equal. He talked about his place on the football team at McKinley, and about his talent for filmmaking and production. He concluded with the words, "In Kitty, Artie has found his soul mate; someone that will always fight his corner, someone who sees the man, and not the chair. The world had better watch out because as a couple, these two might just have the power to change the world. I am so proud to be their friend, and I hope that I will see them living a long, happy and fruitful life together. I ask you therefore to raise your glasses in toast to Artie and Kitty…"

After Puck sat down, it was the turn of Marley to stand up and make a speech, which reflected Kitty's strong belief in equality in all things. She made the whole room laugh as she recounted some of the funnier moments of the couple's life together so far, and then reflected on how glad she was that everything had gone so well today, given the way that the bride had been panicking for the last week or so… Kitty laughed at that, as she knew full well that the way she had been acting over the last few days was irrational at the very least; Marley had however stood by her through all of it, which given the way that she had once treated her was little short of a miracle. The speeches over, they moved on to the important business of the first dance, and that gave Artie a chance to show off his skills, gliding around his wife in his lightweight chair much better than many a groom could have done…

On one side of the room, the two married couples with a child had gravitated together, both of them content to let the other couple watch over their child whilst they had a brief turn on the dance floor. The two little boys had both sat quiet and contented throughout the majority of the event, although Nick had missed most of Puck's speech whilst he was off changing a diaper, and the same had applied to Joe during the first dance. Now as he and Sugar danced, Nick and Jeff sat with a baby each on their lap, the two little ones facing each other, regarding the other with curiosity. Then little Wes stretched out an arm in the direction of young Tim, who proceeded to do the same. Two little palms touched, earning them an "Awww" from Sugar as she returned….

That was what caused Nick and Jeff to notice what was going on, and the latter grinned as he saw it. "It seems that our boy has made his first friend of his own age, Nicky. It is about time I guess. I suspect that there might be tears later when we have to separate them…"

"I have no doubt on that score," said Sugar in reply. "He cries every time that I take him home from the mother and child group… I am quite surprised that you two haven't taken Wes to one of those yet. I would have thought there would be dozens of parent and child groups in Manhattan."

"That is largely my fault," admitted Jeff. "I just love looking after him so much, and I guess I worry about the opinions that outsiders would have on the way that we do things. Still, maybe it is something to consider, as I am certain Wes would love the company of kids his own age - or at least, I'd hope so…"

It was only towards the end of the night, just before the bride and groom departed for their honeymoon, that it emerged that Joe and Sugar had not sorted any accommodation for that night; they had driven across country from Idaho for the wedding, the intention being that they would drive on the following day to a trailer park on the coast, where they would rent a unit for a couple of days by the sea before making the long drive back. They had hoped to find rooms at the YMCA, but had discovered at the last minute that they had no suitable rooms for that night. Nick and Jeff had looked at each other the moment that Joe had admitted it and immediately offered them the use of their spare room for the night.

"It is the most sensible option; after all, we have all the stuff that you need to take care of a baby in the house, and we have plenty of space," said Nick.

"And you can forget the trailer park too," added Jeff. "No-one is using the beach house in Port Jefferson in the next few days, so you can head there. It is set up with a crib and such like for when we go there with Wes, so it a sensible option; and it is a lot more secluded than the Jersey Shore."

"Well, if you are both sure it will be no trouble, I guess we could accept your hospitality for the night, but as for the beach house; well, our budget is limited, and the trailer was all we could afford…" began Joe.

"Stop right there. The beach house is free for all of our friends to use, so you can't beat that price. You can use that rental money for other things, and I think it is actually closer to the city, so you will save on gas money too. Anyway, a private beach is a big bonus when you have a baby with you. You won't need to carry so much stuff down with you as you can easily head back to the house, and the facilities there are of a much better quality than the public ones," insisted Jeff.

"We accept," said Sugar, before Joe could object. She turned to him, and said, "It will be nice to know the kind of place we will be staying in. If I am being really honest, the trailer park did not appeal to me, but I knew it was all that we could afford, so I said nothing. That is what marriage is based on after all; compromise and acceptance."

Joe nodded in response, and agreed with his wife that they had no real reason not to accept - and if he was being totally truthful, he had been dreading the trailer park too…

Then as the happy couple left, the throwing of the bouquet would bring about a revelation to them all. The flowers were actually being aimed at Rachel by Kitty, as a gesture of kindness, but after she had turned her back on them all, Rachel had moved at the very last moment; that, combined with her aim being a degree or two off meant that Quinn was the one to catch them; in doing so, the light caught her new engagement ring. Kitty did not notice, her back still turned, but Tina, Marley, Mercedes, Brittany and Santana all did at once; they all had the good sense not to mention it out loud whilst some people were still in earshot. In fact, Marley and Mercedes looked at each other, and headed over to commiserate with Rachel that she had not caught them, then asked her if she had any thoughts on her wedding dress.

With the distraction in place, Tina was about to race across to Quinn when Mike stopped her, knowing that the first discussion of the ring should go to the other two members of the Unholy Trinity. "Good catch there, Q," Santana began. "Admittedly, Berry will be unbearable for a while, but hopefully by the time that we get her back to Bushwick she will have recovered from missing the flowers; the fact that you appear to have got engaged on the same night as her might take her a little longer to stomach. I am assuming that is what the ring means of course, and that you are engaged to Puck…"

"You're slipping; no Mexican Third Eye?" said Quinn with a smile. "Yes, it does mean that I am engaged, and yes, to Puck. I have signed myself up to be a military wife, but he knows that he will have to work around me; I won't be moving from placement to placement, and I won't be going abroad. He knows that my job is just far too important to me."

"How did he propose? He didn't do it the way that Sam did, or someone would have said he went down on one knee," asked Brittany.

"No, it was all very casual, but I don't need all the hearts and flowers stuff. He was a little bit annoyed that Sam got in first, but to me that doesn't matter. We will be making it official tomorrow, but I guess that the instinctive reaction to catch those flowers gave the secret away to at least some of you in the end."

"It did, and I would now suggest that to avoid any issues, you and Puck have to get married before Sam and Rachel. That will upset her a bit, but these things happen," said Santana.

"Ah, but my wedding will be a very simple affair for close friends; Rachel's will be a vast production number; very grand, a little theatrical, and paid for, no doubt, by her two doting gay dads. My parents will not be at mine, nor will my sister I suspect. The least said about that, the better. Don't get me wrong, I have tried to build bridges, but…"

"They don't matter; your entire extended 'family' will be there for you with bells on," replied Santana, and Quinn nodded, knowing that much was true…

It was still fairly early when the two sets of parents arrived back at the West Village. Joe had gone back to retrieve their car on his own, leaving Sugar to join the other two on the subway, which even in the late evening was faster than a bus or cab. By the time that Joe pulled up in the parking spot outside Nick and Jeff's house, they had looked out their own travel crib for Tim to sleep in, and both he and little Wes had been settled down for the night; it had been a long day for them both after all. Sugar too was feeling tired, and not long after Joe arrived she had made her excuses and had headed up to bed. Once she was away, however, Joe's face had taken on a much more serious expression.

"We almost didn't come today, because being back here on this side of the country worries me. There has been no lessening of the anger over our marriage from the Motta family, and if Al knew that he had a grandson - well, he would want to raise him himself in his own way. If that meant that he had to remove his parents from the equation… well, I don't think he would find that too much of an issue, being honest. In his eyes, Sugar betrayed him and dishonoured the family when she married me, and there is no way he will ever forgive her for that. As for going to Jersey, well that was an even bigger risk; all it would have taken was for one person to have spotted us, and the word to have got back to him…"

"That is why Sugar has dyed her hair, and you aren't wearing your minister's collar, isn't it?" said Nick, and he was left to shake his head as Joe nodded.

"We even went out of state for Sugar to give birth, so that if he does find us, Tim will be registered elsewhere. As for my folks, well there is no way that Sugar would be welcome in their home, and if my wife isn't welcome, then there is no way that they are getting me or my son. The irony is that my mom was always so desperate for grandkids; now she has one, and will probably never know. Given all of that, both Sugar and I have made a will, and they both state that in the event of both us dying before Tim reaches the age of 21, he is to be placed in your care, just as we talked about at Santana's wedding at Dalton. I also intend to take full advantage of the scheme and enrol him at Dalton Academy when he is of age; I want him to have a good education, and be safe, and that is guaranteed there."

"We haven't decided if we will be sending Wes there or not yet. There is a big part of us that thinks that it would be a benefit for him in life to go to such a good school, but it is so far away, and there are very good schools here in the city, albeit at a price. If we do though, then our boys will be in the same year group I suspect, so at least they would have one person that they could befriend and know they could rely on," said Jeff with a smile.

"And if Wes doesn't go, then you can be sure that Thad and Jeff's cousin Dylan will keep an eye on him anyway," added Nick. Joe nodded, and then yawned. It had been a long day, and he needed rest. At least he could stop worrying about his family problems for a while now…