A First Birthday Celebration.
At the end of the week after the two weddings, Nick and Jeff headed to their third wedding in Vermont. They were joined there by Grace, travelling alone as Cooper could not get time off his show. Colin and Edward had headed up the day before with Seth and Skylar, all four eager to help their housemates celebrate their big day. Thad would also be in attendance, having been invited to the event by Dylan; he felt a bit like a third wheel though, given that the latter's girlfriend was also going to be there. Nick made the suggestion that he should keep Grace company, and he had agreed as long as she was okay with that arrangement.
On his arrival in Vermont though, Thad had first sought out one of his own flock. Through one thing and another the previous week, he had not been able to get Seth on his own to have a chat about the potential problems with his hand. He found the younger man sitting on his own on a bench in the garden, and knew this was the best chance he would have. He took a seat next to him, then said, "So, I think we need to talk about the issue with your hand at Edwin's wedding. Whilst I am prepared to accept in public the story about getting a cramp and being nervous, in private I am not. That wasn't the first time that it has happened, was it?"
Seth sighed, and then replied, "No, it wasn't, but it is nothing to concern yourself about. It has happened a few other times in the past, but it doesn't happen all the time; just an odd day in an odd month. I am not that worried about it, so there is no need for you to go dialling 911 at the moment. I think it is just too many hours spent clutching a pen as I scribble down notes, plus all that craft work with my models has just taken a toll. I am just taking things easier, and doing stretching exercises and stuff like that to make it more limber."
"Hmm, well I am not a doctor, but promise me that if it does get worse, you will go and speak to someone about it. If I find out that it is happening more often and you have still done nothing, then I will set my brother Ollie on you."
"Is that a promise, or a threat?" Seth joked.
"Both," replied Thad in all seriousness. He knew that he would get no further, and so satisfied for now, Thad took his leave, heading off to see Cameron, who now had his own little house next door to the main one. He did not look back; if he had, he would have been concerned to see Seth rubbing at his hand as it once again cramped in pain; the pain that had now been happening daily for just over three months. Seth sighed, and had to admit to himself that maybe Thad was right; maybe he should go and see a doctor about it. All he needed to do was actually find the time to go…
The wedding was held early the following day. Luke had asked Dylan to be his best man, and he had accepted without a moment's hesitation. It was true that these days they spent most of their time hundreds of miles apart, but just as was the case with Thad and Ollie Harwood, they kept in touch by phone and video chat; the brotherly bond they had was also so very strong. Duncan too had asked his brother to be his best man, and Tommy too had agreed almost at once. He had come on a lot since the first time that most of them had met him, as a witness in a trial in a courtroom in Manhattan. His grandfather had persuaded him that he should go to college, an avenue that he had felt was closed off to him after all that had happened with Hunter, but it turned out that his past was just that for them; the past. The good words about him from a former coach that had gone on to be an influential figure in Congress had not been unhelpful either. He had gone on to study criminology, and had just managed to graduate at the top of his class. On the day of the wedding, he was celebrating the fact that he had just received a response from the FBI; he would be accepting a junior role within that organisation, starting in a few short weeks, all of his past misdemeanours forgotten. He had also found himself a girlfriend, and no-one could miss the fact that she was wearing an engagement ring as he stood by his girlfriend that morning.
A not unexpected pleasure was the presence of Trent and Rory; they had been invited, but had been unsure if they would have the time with the build up to the election to attend; indeed, with yet another infamous tweet about the president from an actress, and some more inappropriate clothing from the First Lady, they had been sure they would not be coming 24 hours ago. They had succeeded though, mainly by catching the overnight train from Washington DC heading to Boston, jumping off at New Haven in the early hours, hiring a car there and then driving north at the highest speed permitted on the roads. They had turned up two hours before the ceremony, begging for food, and a hot shower. These had been provided, and now, dressed in the suits they had brought with them, they looked the part; their only problem now was with staying awake…
Elspeth was quite happy to spend the majority of the day playing the doting grandmother, insisting on taking little Wes for a while as her sister and her wife fussed over the wedding of their youngest son. They both predicted that their other two children would be married within a year. There had been talk that Cameron had been seen in a jeweller's shop in the nearest big town. Jeff had been close by as his aunts discussed that, and he couldn't stop himself from saying that Warblers seemed to like proposing at other people's weddings, and that as a result, maybe this would be a happy day for two reasons. His suspicions seemed to be confirmed later when he noticed a suspiciously square bulge in the pocket of Cameron's suit jacket…
That was all for later though. Jeff smiled with a lot of pride as he watched his cousin and his husband-to-be walking towards the celebrant in their matching suits, his own husband at his side. Duncan was wearing a shamrock pin on his tie to celebrate his family heritage, and Luke's buttonhole was of red clover, the state flower of Vermont. The simple words of the ceremony were said; just as his cousin and his husband had done on an August day in New York nearly 6 years before, Luke and Duncan had written their own vows, full of words of love and mutual respect that brought a tear to many eyes. Then the magic words were said, and the two young men became the latest of their friends to share a common surname…
Elspeth insisted in carrying on being grandmother at the reception, albeit with help from Grace, whose own pregnancy was now starting to be quite obvious to everyone. The food served was not fancy hotel fare, but good, honest, local food, much of it actually produced on the family farm. The first dance was to a classic motown song, again echoing that other ceremony in New York, where two schoolboys had jumped up and down a lot; two boys that now as young men glided around the floor hand in hand with no effort at all. Everyone knew that Mike had been busy…
As Jeff had surmised, shortly after that Cameron did sink down on one knee and proposed to Flora, and she accepted with no hesitation. Nick had the presence of mind to film it all on his phone, and although he was no Artie, the result was good enough that Thad insisted he post it at once on the Warbler Facebook page for everyone to see. What no-one had anticipated was that Dylan would clear his throat loudly, and then, with apologies to his sister, get down on one knee himself to propose to his own girlfriend. She also said yes, and the noise of celebration that followed was loud and long…
It all echoed nicely what Dylan had said in his best man's speech earlier. "So far, this year has been full of things that have given me hope for the future; a new breed of politicians, new discoveries in science, and a plethora of marriages. We can all now look forward at a world which is getting just a little bit brighter every day…" In one room in Vermont, it certainly did seem that the future was filled with hope, and that hopefully, the good times were on their way back once more…
July brought a gathering of the majority of the Warbler flock to the West Village to celebrate a very special event. The person in whose honour the gathering was being held was a little indifferent to the entire affair, as he did not yet quite grasp the concept of birthdays, but to everyone else, the first birthday of little Wes was quite and important occasion. Nick had the day off work, and had been granted it by Miss Worthington before he had even asked for it; she had used his happiness at that to tell him that he had two more trips to Geneva in the offing, one in mid July and the other in late September. The former was only for two meetings, two days apart on a Friday and a Monday, so she suggested that it would be perfect to combine it with a weekend break in Switzerland. "It will be no problem to add tickets for your husband and son, and the hotel accommodation is charged for by the room, so there is no issue there. It is a lovely part of the world, as you know, and very child friendly."
Nick had gone home that evening and had discussed it with Jeff, and he had agreed that it would be a very worthwhile trip to make, given the discounted tickets he and little Wes would travel on. "I have checked out the scenery around Geneva online a few times, and it is wonderful; it would be so good to draw. On top of that, there is the whole Swiss chocolate thing…" Nick had burst out laughing, glad that his husband still had his priorities right even now he was in his mid twenties. There was also the prospect of fondue, which sounded like fun, although it would need to be kept away from his son. The next day he thanked Miss Worthington for the suggestion, and asked if the arrangements could be made. After all, whilst he was in the meetings, Jeff could draw… When the tickets arrived on his desk that afternoon, he was delighted to see that he was booked to arrive on the Thursday, and they would not return until Wednesday. Miss Worthington told him that the flights had been cheaper when he queried it, but he did not quite believe her…
That would all of course come after his son's big day. Nick knew of course that his mom and grandparents would be coming, and had made arrangements to stay with Grace and Cooper; he had a feeling that those plans had a lot to do with his mom wanting to check that everything was in place for the birth of the twins. There would be guests of their own to entertain too, in the shape of the Sterlings and Elspeth, who also did not want to miss the first birthday party of their grandson. With all that in mind, Nick had begun to plan the party with an almost military precision, making lists of what he need to prepare, and another of the days on which he could prepare things in advance. Jeff on seeing all the paper and charts began to wonder if Sebastian had been right when he joked Nick had developed OCD with the birth of his son… He calmed a little when he saw that most of the papers were recipes for the large buffet spread that his husband intended to prepare for the event; he had taken inspiration from party cookbooks from across the globe…
Jeff had been assigned duties to help in the preparation too; Nick knew that his husband had a slight edge over him in the making of savoury pastry, so he had given him the task of preparing mini quiche in a variety of flavours, and a version of that quintessential British party staple, the sausage roll. As for Nick himself, he was going to be bold and experiment with little delicacies from around the world. One of these was macarons; those amongst them that had been to Paris loved them, and the recipe that he had made them actually sound relatively simple to do… He mentioned his intention to Jeff one evening, and his husband had stated that he certainly had to try to make them. Nick was certain that his keenness was in no small part due to the fact that he would be getting to test them…
By the time that the Sterlings arrived on the last day of June, carrying between them a pile of presents that made Nick just shake his head, the storage space in the kitchen and in the spare refrigerator was already occupied. There were tins filled with savoury biscuits as well as the usual cookies, and enough cake had been made that they could easily have stocked a patisserie. Nick had after several attempts perfected his macarons, and had decided that those best able to judge whether he had them perfect were the staff in the French section of the U.N. Judging by their facial expressions, they were impressed that an all American man like Nick could perfect the delicate little sweets, and had made them in the correct flavours. That satisfied Nick, but he knew that the harshest critic would be there the next day - Sebastian.
On the morning of his birthday, little Wes slept longer than usual, to the frustration of some of those that had assembled to wish him many happy returns. Nick's grandfather however stated that it was only right and proper that a man should have a lie in on his birthday, and little Wes was just starting as he meant to go on. In his absence, Caleb lapped up all the attention from the visitors. He had seen this kind of assembly so many times now, and he knew that it meant considerable disturbance to his routine. When the tell tale noises of little Wes waking up finally came through on the baby monitor, Caleb proceeded Nick up the stairs, but kept going up to the top of the house and Jeff's studio; there he could relax in the sun, and play with the catnip mouse that lived there. All he could hope was that his humans would remember to provide his lunch as per schedule; they rarely forgot that job, but he had just heard the word birthday before he left, and that term was one that had been mentioned before the few previous lapses…
In retrospect, Nick realised that the whole day had to have been exceptionally overwhelming for his son; all of the attention, the wealth of faces and the complete disruption of his routine. He was also aware that there was no way that any of it could have been avoided. He carried his boy down to the kitchen, where his eyes grew wide at the crowd of faces where he was used to just two. Although there were multiple offers to help with his breakfast, Nick placed his son in his high chair as usual and Jeff served him up his usual breakfast fare, most of which he could eat unaided now.
"He is so big now," said Mrs Duval, " and smart too. I know a lot of kids that couldn't manage to eat on their own at his age."
"Well that is all down to his father's good genetics," replied Jeff.
"And his papa's good parenting skills," added Nick at once.
"It is the result of the combination of the skills of two remarkable young men who have dedicated themselves to ensuring that their boy is raised properly, in an atmosphere of love and affection," stated Nick's grandfather, and he immediately received nods of agreement from all the older generation in the room.
After breakfast, Jeff insisted on carrying on with his son's usual routine, taking Wes back upstairs to get washed, changed and dressed. As he finished his task, he turned to his son and said, "Papa is very sorry, but this is where it all gets a little chaotic. You will be getting passed from grandparent to grandparent. The good news is that there are presents, lots of them, because this is a very special day for us all. It is a year since the best day of my life, since I married your dad…" He picked up his son, and kissed his cheek, before whispering, "Happy birthday, my little one."
"Love papa," said little Wes in response, which made Jeff smile.
"And papa loves you too…"
Once downstairs there were gifts to be unwrapped; Wes did rip the paper of a couple, but soon got bored, so it fell to his parents to open the various parcels, and hold them out for Wes to see. Like all children of his age, the paper was far more fascinating than the new toys, clothes and shoes. After the last of the parcels had been opened, his parents reluctantly relinquished their hold on their son, and handed him over to Mr Sterling, the sole grandfather in the room. As the others gathered round him as he sat on the sofa, Nick's grandmother asked the big question that was on everyone's minds. "What time are we expecting the invasion of Dalton boys? After all, there is no way that they would want to miss out on this day either, not given the perfect name that you have given him."
"They are all coming at lunchtime," replied Nick, "which is why I have such a massive buffet prepared. I did suggest later, but then it was suggested that it would be better for Wes if they arrived early, as it would be less disruptive to his routine. However, I am a realist, and I know that they just wanted there to be food; none of them can resist a social function with food…"
Mrs Duval laughed, then said, "The one thing I am actually grateful that your father did was insist that you attended Dalton Academy; it is the one thing he did right for you, though at the time I didn't think it was for the best. It brought you to your soulmate in Jeff, and gave you a close circle of friends that will always have your back as you go through life."
"I suppose that is the one good choice he made, although now I would guess he thinks the opposite. Still, he is the loser in all of this; he lost his family as a result of his prejudice, and I will never forgive him for any of the things that he has done and said to me. That does make me feel guilty sometimes, but if that is all I have to feel guilty for, well I can live with that," replied Nick.
Nick was correct in that as soon as he began to set out the buffet table, the doorbell began to ring, and one or two at a time, the Warblers began to arrive, along with Grace and Cooper, Santana and Brittany, Sam and Rachel, and Artie and Kitty. Mike was the last to appear; Tina arrived alone before him, full of apologies on his behalf. "He got a call asking him to head to the City Ballet to see his boss about Swan Lake. It is nothing too bad, thankfully, and he will still be the lead, in just those feathered trousers…." Tina then went into a bit of a trance, much to the amusement of everyone, although many could see why that prospect had made her lose her place…
She had only just recovered when Mike arrived, smiling broadly, but full of even more apologies for his tardiness. He walked straight over to where Mrs Duval was holding her grandson in her arms; when Mike stretched out his own arms, she had no hesitation in handing him over.
"Uncle Mikey is sorry he is late; his boss needed to tell him a very important date, and now I have to tell everyone that my opening night has been confirmed as October 22nd. Between you and me, Wes, Uncle Mikey is a little bit scared…"
"And I am sure that Wes would tell you that you shouldn't worry, and that you will be fine, wouldn't you son?" said Nick, who was already writing the date in his planner.
As for little Wes, he just smiled broadly, then made the day all the more special for someone by saying loud and clear "Unca Mykey!"
Once Mike had recovered from the shock of being named by little Wes so loudly, he handed over the young man to his Uncle Thad; then he was promptly engulfed by Tina, who proceeded to smother him in kisses, much to his mortification. Nick and Jeff both patted him on the back in congratulations on getting a date for his big role, and they were followed by others in the room, none of them able to get any closer. Eventually Tina was prised off Mike by Santana, mainly because Brittany wanted to hug Mike too, although before allowing her wife access, she did give him a brief one of his own. Attention by then had switched back to the birthday boy and the buffet in equal proportion. Thad refused to let little Wes be taken from his arms, stating that the boy in his arms was not a sack of potatoes, and should not be handed from one to another like such as it was not fair on him. No-one in the room could disagree with him on that point, and in any case, now that all his nerves had subsided, Thad was much more confident in holding a young child, and was almost as natural at it as Trent.
As for the latter, he sat back and waited patiently for his own turn to hold onto little Wes, knowing that once he had stopped handling gifts from the well wishers, Jeff would intervene and insist on taking his son back, on the pretext that it would allow Thad to get some food. Trent would then offer his services, and find a quiet spot where he could sit with Rory at his side and just dote on their unofficial nephew. He hoped that it would not be long now before he and Rory found themselves in the same situation as Nick and Jeff. They had approached the young lady that had offered to be their surrogate, after they had made a lot of checks about her themselves, and she had repeated that she was willing to help them at any time. The question was now all about the right timing. They would have a lot of work on their plate in the run up to the election, but if the result was favourable, then as soon as possible thereafter they would start the process…
The party continued for most of the afternoon, and only began to wind down after every gift had been carefully opened and then admired by parents and child, even if the latter had lost all interest whatsoever in the process before the last parcel was finally unwrapped. The pile of new toys that Wes now had was huge, and they varied in style from the traditional, through the gender neutral, to the educational. There were also a lot of picture and story books, which pleased both fathers; they were fully aware of the importance of reading to the development of the young mind, plus how much the picture book was a valuable learning tool.
There was also a whole new wardrobe of clothes, more or less, and knitting needles had been busy once more. Mrs Carmichael had sent, via Thad, a pile of Dalton style sweaters, each of them slightly bigger than the last, which made everyone grin. She had sent with them to her apologies that she and her husband had been unable to attend in person; the former Principal had suffered a minor accident just a few days earlier, and with his ankle strapped up it was just impractical to make the trip. Nick had wasted no time in calling her up as soon as her parcels had been opened, and two minutes later they were on Skype, and thanks were being exchanged face to face via the two screens.
Eventually though all the guests took their leave; those that had shows to perform in that night were the first to go. After an early dinner, the Sterlings and Elspeth also headed out, having been bought tickets to go and see Evita that evening by Nick and Jeff, who just wanted to get their house back for a little while. With everyone else away, they could finally reinstate the routine that little Wes was used to; he was soon in his bath, playing happily with the new tub toys that he had been given by his Uncle Ethan, all the while mumbling a string of random words as he did so…
It was only once he was dried off and had been dressed in a new sleep suit bought for him by Elspeth that the last guest of the day made their appearance. As was so often the case, the little one's namesake had been tied up with work that morning when Kurt and Blaine had arrived with Finn in tow. Thanks to their corporeal state around their oldest friends, they had also been able to bring gifts, but the one that had made them all gasp was the little suit that Kurt had made for him, all hand stitched, and complete with a shirt and bowtie, just for those special events. It had been admired for a while and then had been carefully wrapped and put away for the next big event. It was by design still a little large for the child anyway.
Now the eldest of the angels came and took a seat in the nursery, holding out his arms so that he could hold the little one; as he always did when in his namesake's arms, little Wes smiled and chattered quietly, eventually ending the long string of unconnected words with a clear "Wessie!" which made them all grin.
"You have been talking to your Uncle Thad, haven't you?" said Wes with a chuckle. "It has been quite a busy day for you, hasn't it? Next birthday will be better as you will be more aware of what is actually going on and what it means; there will also be cake. You are growing up so fast and getting so big… you will be sitting on laps soon, not being held; walking steadily everywhere, not toddling or crawling. Make the most of these youthful days, as all too soon they come to an end… On top of that, you have cousins coming very soon, and that will change things for you…" Wes stopped as the boy in his arms yawned. "You are right, Wes, it is time for bed…."
Unbidden, Wes rose to his feet and carried his young charge over to his bed; as his two fathers watched, their son was set down and made comfortable for the night, with pillows plumped and covers carefully arranged. As the tired little boy's eyes closed almost as soon as his head touched the pillow, a tear formed in the eye of the angel that was watching him, as he imagined doing this with his own child with Thad standing at his side…
The months of July and August would be fairly quite when compared to the eventful month of June they had just experienced. Nick and Jeff would head off in the middle of the month for their long weekend in Switzerland, both fussing anxiously as little Wes took his first flight, hoping that he would not be too upset by the noise, the people and the atmosphere on the plane. To their surprise and delight, he fell asleep just before they took off, and woke only once during the flight; Jeff fed him and gave him the necessary diaper change, leaving Nick to sleep on. They had arranged this in advance as he had arranged to meet one of the other participants in the Friday meeting very briefly on Thursday afternoon on one of the areas of mutual interest listed in their schedule for the following day. Fed and changed, Wes fell swiftly back to sleep, as did his papa, who only woke as the cabin crew came round to serve them a light breakfast.
Once they were en-route to their hotel, Jeff finally got to see why his husband thought the city was so beautiful; indeed, as they pulled up in front of their hotel, which stood in lush green grounds on the shores of Lake Geneva, it took all of his willpower to not just abandon Nick, Wes and the luggage and head off to start sketching. Once they had checked in and made their way to their room, Nick handed Jeff his sketch book and told him to do just that. They could unpack later, and he could keep an eye on their son as he checked through his E-mails, and then read the latest report from those in the field. Jeff did as he was told without a moment of hesitation; he was soon settled on a bench in the grounds, sketching the lake and the mountains beyond, all the while breathing in the crisp fresh air on a day when the skies were clear blue and cloudless…
The following day, when Nick had his meeting, Jeff packed the usual bag, and placed his son in his stroller, before heading in to the centre of the city to explore and do a little shopping. As he had been told by everyone he had asked, the country was every bit as clean and efficient as he expected. He travelled in to the town on the tram, which carried him right into the historic centre, which he then explored with the help of a guide given to him by the receptionist at the hotel. He stopped to sketch several times, drawing St Pierre's Cathedral, the Brunswick Memorial and the Russian Orthodox church, the architecture of the latter being the most fascinating to him. The people he found were very friendly, patiently listening to his halting French, or changing themselves into English when they realised that he was from the USA; Jeff wished that he had the ability with languages that others had, and he resolved that maybe he could do some sort of course to improve his own linguistic skills. The city was also extremely child friendly, and he had no issue in finding a baby changing room, or in ensuring that his son was fed just as well as he was.
Nick's meeting was over before 5pm, and the couple made plans to have dinner at a restaurant that specialised in fondue, and even more importantly, was child friendly. The food at the restaurant turned out to be a bit of a challenge; the molten cheese was very hot, and they had to take great care. However, skewering the lumps of bread and meat and then dipping them into the molten mixture was fun, and tasted amazing. From his high chair, Wes watched with interest for a while, but then decided that the food in front of him was much better and just as tasty on the whole. For dessert, the pot of cheese was replaced with one of chocolate, and not to his husband's surprise, Jeff later stated that on the whole, sweet fondue had a definite edge over the savoury variety.
The following day saw them up early and dressing in warm clothes for a day trip that would see them explore a glacier and the town of Montreux. One of Nick's colleagues in New York had told him that the glacier tour was a must, and they had both agreed that the idea was thrilling; also, given the scourge that was global warming and the rapidity with which glaciers were shrinking, it might well be their only chance to see one. Wes was of course very young for such an adventure, and most likely would not recall it, but as they ascended in the cable car to the high mountain home of Glacier 3000, Nick made sure that he took a whole host of photos. Some people on their arrival at the top joined the line for a walking tour on the ice, but that was impractical for them; instead they climbed onboard a specially adapted vehicle that then drove them out onto the thick floe of ice high in the Alps. Once again, Nick found himself taking picture after picture at his husband's bidding, and knew that he would use them to draw the scene before them on their arrival home.
The tour then took them on to the town of Montreux, where they discovered that the annual Jazz Festival was in full swing, with the sound of that genre of music audible everywhere they went. They had known all about the famous Golden Rose, but the music was much more immediate for them and enhanced their trip. As Jeff sat down and drew the buildings, Nick explored the shops, his feet trying to move in tempo to the music all the time. He found a book on the history of the Golden Rose prize in one store, and purchased it, earmarking it as a gift for Artie; after all, he was becoming very successful, and on day his name might end up on the shortlist for that coveted award… They returned to Geneva that night tired, but very happy. As they headed to bed that night, they still had a cruise on the lake to look forward to the following day, prior to Nick's final meeting. All in all, the city was definitely one they would happily return to…
