The Wedding of 2020.
The choice of Christmas Day for the wedding of Sam Evans and Rachel Berry was more out of common sense than choice, given that it was one of the few days in the year that saw Broadway close most of its doors. Even that plan was no guarantee though, and there was a moment when it looked as if Sam would be working that night; however, his understudy agreed to do the performance in his stead, but only after he had received a visit from Santana and Sebastian. Most people thought that the two of them had turned on the evil ways of their teenage past once more, with Santana making threats about the razor blades in her hair, but those in the know guessed that they had persuaded him by telling the poor man all the horrific things that an irate Rachel would do to him if she was forced to abandon her elaborate wedding plans.
The ceremony was to be held in Central Park, a prospect that had initially left everyone absolutely horrified; they all pictured themselves huddled up in coats, hats and scarves as someone held an umbrella over bride, groom and celebrant in the middle of a blizzard. The comment that resonated most was made by Ethan; "I know that she wants a white wedding, but this is taking things too far; hypothermia, bronchitis and pneumonia are also not desirable as wedding favours." When the venue was clarified by Sam as being the Loeb Boathouse within Central Park, they all breathed a sigh of relief that the worst had been avoided; still, the weather could be a factor, and she and Sam might not be as fortunate as Dave and Sebastian had been for their re-wedding…
The other good factor was the fact that the timing was reasonable, with the actual wedding being scheduled for 1pm, which would allow the parents to deal with the whole of Christmas morning before they had to get themselves done up in their best clothes; the dress code was very much formal, given that she expected the place to be filled with photographers. Mercedes had agreed to come and sing at the ceremony; but that was done partly for Sam, and partly because it meant she could avoid phone call after phone call from the bride to be. Isabelle had also put Rachel in contact with the designer that she had used to create the KEH Collection, as Kurt had eventually managed to produce a design that Rachel liked, and the pictures that Jeff painstakingly copied out a dozen times before she was happy were duly handed over. There were wild rumours that somewhere in Jeff's studio there was a drawing in which Rachel's face had been replaced with that of the Wicked Witch of the West from the film version of the Wizard of Oz, but they were never substantiated; after all, a Warbler never told tales on another…
Sebastian discovered early on that Rachel had invited the entire cast and crew of Hello Dolly! to join her on her big day from his Aunt Bette; she confessed that they had all agreed to avoid her getting in a strop. She also admitted that she had threatened David Hyde Pierce with actual bodily harm if he declined, as she was not prepared to suffer alone. "Don't get me wrong; she has a great talent and a wonderful voice, and I think that Sam is just a darling, but I have the feeling that this affair is going to put the average British Royal Wedding to shame, at least in her opinion. I also heard that she wanted the Governor to conduct the ceremony for her, but I believe he informed her in person that he was already fully committed that day."
Sebastian laughed. "Yes, she wasn't too pleased about that. I heard a wild rumour that she then called up Burt Hummel and asked if a President Elect has the authority to conduct weddings…" he responded, which caused Bette to laugh out loud at the fact that she had even had the audacity to ask that….
Both Trent and Rory knew that was actually no wild rumour, but gospel truth. In the end, it was only Sam telling her that he had found someone to conduct the wedding that was every bit as good as a high powered politician that had stopped Rachel from jumping on a plane to Washington DC to ask the man himself face to face…
The day of the wedding came, and still the only person that knew the identity of the actual person that would be conducting the wedding was Sam himself. They had of course rehearsed the ceremony, with Cooper standing in, although he had been unprepared for the number of times they had to stop and restart. As he finally left, he hinted very loudly that since he had been on sabbatical from the whirl of showbiz, he had been able to find time to do other things in between caring for the twins; he had been studying for new qualifications, and he had just obtained one… Sam knew of course that this was a full first aid certificate; however, if Rachel had decided that he had just been ordained and would actually be in charge the following day, then he wasn't going to dissuade her, particularly as he knew that Cooper and Grace had both switched their phones off…
He would spend Christmas Eve in the company of the Hummel-Warblers in Murray Hill; what he did not tell them was that as a result, his Christmas the previous year had been his last as an owner of the Bushwick loft. They had received a very good offer from the young doctor friend of Ollie Harwood's that had rented it from them whilst the 'L' Train was off; his contract in Brooklyn was now a permanent one, and the current place he and his family were renting was no patch on the loft. When he had heard it was up for sale from Ollie, he had done his sums, and had come in with a cash offer at the full asking price. As he and Rachel had already found a house that they both liked in Bedford-Stuyvesent, and Brittany and Santana had their eyes on a place in Maplewood, they had all accepted without hesitation…
Sam had ensured that he would get to the boathouse early, having first checked that his family were okay and knew where to come. He was not the first to arrive though; that had been Artie, who had been charged with filming the event, with only one stipulation from the bride - that it should have the look and feel of a Hollywood epic. He had neither the budget or the team required to do so, of course, but he had called in a few favours, and as a result there was professional lighting and the best sound recording equipment. He had even managed to get Kitty to agree to be the make up artist, and had got her to promise not to make the bride look like a clown. He was however more than a little certain that some guests would object to having their faces powdered to remove excess shine…
There was one thing that had made Artie smile on the way to the venue that morning, and that was the weather. It had snowed during the night, just enough to give the whole park that Hollywood Christmas feel. He had left the park staff bemused at first when he had asked them to dump the snow that they had just cleared from the paths on to the lawn area beside the boathouse, until he explained that he was dealing with a Broadway diva bride. Then his request had made perfect sense, and they had piled the snow deeply around the venue, bringing it from every corner of the vast urban park. As a result, the Loeb Boathouse now looked like it had been caught in a freak blizzard. The sun had come out, and the clouds had begun to clear, giving a marvellous natural light on a wintry scene… Inside, Sam was a still a little bit nonplussed when Artie presented him with a radio mike, and then proceeded to pin it to his tuxedo. "If the picture is good, but the sound isn't, she will have everyone back to do dubbing sessions," Artie explained. "That would be a pain in the proverbial, so this should hopefully allow us to avoid it."
"I guess you have a point there," said Sam, "and it is a lot safer than using a boom mike."
"Oh, but I have one of those on standby, just in case the bride herself decides that she doesn't want to wear a mike. I hope that she will agree, but she has always been a little…" Artie stopped, mortified that he had nearly criticised Sam's fiancée, but the man himself was nodding, knowing all too well that his wife-to-be had diva tendnacies…
The guests all made a special effort to arrive early too, knowing that they had to avoid a diva strop at all costs. Mercedes was one of the first to arrive; she stopped to stare at the building, and the amount of snow around it compared to elsewhere. Neither she or David could stop themselves from laughing when a passing park worker saw the looks on their faces, and shouted, "I know! Someone that thinks they're a big star is getting married, and the poor video guy needed more snow to keep her happy. I mean, who does the broad think she is? Barbra Streisand?"
As everyone else arrived, they too paused to stare at the snow, and depending on their temperament, shook their head sadly, muttered something about igloos, or in the case of most of the Warblers, laughed hysterically. It came to the appointed hour, and their was still no sign of the bride, not that anyone was really concerned about that; they had all expected Rachel to fully exercise her prerogative, and there was also the fact that she might have got held up by the external snow drift. Sam waited with his two best men, Cooper and Stevie, the latter still beaming with pride at the fact that he had been asked to take the role. They were all assured that the celebrant had arrived, but they had done so in such a way that no-one other than Sam had seen even so much as a glimpse of them. That mystery had promptly become the main topic of conversation as they waited…
"Is Barbra licensed to officiate at weddings?" mused Quinn.
"I don't think so; maybe it is Oprah or Ellen?" added Beats.
"Maybe she has gone for someone like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt," quipped Ethan.
"No, that would be far too common!" scoffed Santana. "I doubt she would settle for anyone less than the Archbishop of New York…"
"…but only because the Pope himself was too busy," replied Sebastian.
"I am sure that whoever it is, all that matters is that Rachel and Sam end up being married," said Burt loudly and sternly, making them all fall silent. "Personally, my money is on Archbishop Curry…"
As Carole playfully slapped Burt's arm, and everyone else howled with laughter, Leroy Berry appeared at the door, which they all knew was the signal that the bride had arrived. Hiram joined him first, and then Rachel appeared, with two little girls, cousins on her mother's side of the family, carrying her train. They took some time to appear, as it was easily half the length of the building… As Santana rolled her eyes, and Brittany was secretly glad that she had chosen to sit next to the aisle as that was all that was probably preventing her wife standing on it, they all noticed that the celebrant still hadn't appeared… and about halfway down, Rachel noticed that too, and slowed up. Suddenly she heard a familiar voice in her ear. "Don't worry, they are here; they just want to make as big an entrance as you… Kurt would have come to do this by the way, but he is a little overwhelmed at the moment…"
Before Rachel could question Blaine on that statement, there was a squeal from one of the guests as the celebrant made their entrance. Mouths fell open across the room, and eyes bulged in shock. Artie was thankful he had set up two cameras, as he was able to film both the entrances to the centre stage, so to speak.
"How on earth did Sam organise this!?" Mike exclaimed in a whisper.
"I think that Rachel will approve; if she doesn't, then she won't be getting married today," stated Mercedes. Suddenly, she found herself wondering how a certain angel would be reacting, and looking round the room she caught sight of him, being held up by his husband and stepbrother, as Wes just shook his head. Then again, this was from left field, and everyone was a little stunned. Of all the people that could have been conducting the wedding, none of them had even suspected that Sam could have got Lady Gaga…
The ceremony passed off without incident; Lady Gaga had come dressed soberly, and observed the dignity that such an important occasion required and deserved. Rachel quickly got over her initial shock, and although she was disappointed not to have had the future President officiate at her ceremony, she had to admit that the fact that such an icon of the music scene had performed her marriage would make her big day unforgettable. The others there also quickly realised that they would not be allowed to forget that she had been at the wedding ever too, but it was pretty cool… Mercedes sang beautifully, with David joining her at times, and the completely unplanned duet she had with the celebrity celebrant after the wedding had them all smiling. The two singers began to talk of a future official collaboration after their song together.
Stevie Evans had performed his part perfectly, and was rewarded with a kiss from the celebrant afterwards, which Sam had the presence of mind to ensure was photographed so that his little brother could prove to all of his classmates that he really had met the star and she had kissed him. With her official part over, Lady Gaga stayed for a little while, which allowed them all to say hello, taking the inevitable selfies, and then recover… It was during this that Carole, whilst admiring her dress, was told that it was one of her favourites, and had come from a limited edition called the KEH Collection. All those in the room that could see and hear angels heard a shriek at that revelation, followed by the gasped words "Oh..my..Gaga…" and a thud.
"Now that is quite a coincidence," said Carole, trying to ignore Blaine trying to revive his husband in her immediate eye line. "The KEH Collection was actually designed by my late stepson, Kurt Hummel. He was a massive fan of yours, and he would have been thrilled to know you were wearing something of his…"
"Oh, I gathered that from the shriek just now; he is the tall thin angel with the glasz eyes, or am I wrong…?" came the whispered response, which just left Carole staring at the star open mouthed.
Fifteen minutes later, Lady Gaga took her leave of the wedding party, but not before she had returned to the ante-room where she had prepared herself and was formally introduced to four angels, an experience which made the lady smile. Wes was his usual dapper, polite self, and when after a few minutes the star gasped and said, "You're the one in the drawing!" he merely smiled and nodded. Secretly, he wondered how Jeff would react when he discovered she was a fan of his work. Finn was tongue tied, and said little after he blurted out that he had gone to school dressed in a shower curtain during Gaga week at Glee club. Blaine found himself talking for himself and his husband, who it appeared had lost the power of speech; he opened his mouth, but nothing came out, not even when she praised his designing abilities.
Wes excused himself as she made her final preparations to leave, and went to find Jeff. When he told his blond friend what had been said, the young man swayed a little, as an alarmed Nick looked on, then rallied, and dived for the substantial bag that he as a parent took to all social events; he pulled out one of the postcards from the Met of The Judging Angel and wrote a brief message of thanks on it, before signing it. Then, as the lady was about to leave, he ran over to her. "Ma'am, we didn't get a chance to meet earlier as my husband and I were changing our son, but I have been informed that you have seen my little drawing…"
"Wait; you're Jeff Sterling-Duval? Now this time the pleasure in meeting is all mine! It was such a vivid and uplifting piece of art, and now that I have met your inspiration for myself, I can see why you chose to draw him, and why it is so wonderful. I hope that you are working on another project?"
"Well, being a dad takes up a lot of my time at the moment - that is my husband Nick with our boy over there; little Wes… Nick works at the UN, and so I do most of the child care, and I have my illustration work to do for Vogue, and several children's books… But, yes, strictly between us, I have been working on something; a whole series of drawings that can be displayed together. Anyway, I have taken the liberty of signing this card for you just now…"
He handed the card to her, and she took it with a smile. "Well, all I can say is that I can't wait to see your next creation, Jeff; send me an invite to the unveiling," she replied, and Jeff nodded with a grin. Then she headed out to her car, leaving them all to celebrate the day…
The reception would go on late into the night, the usual mix of singing and dancing, made all the better by the fact that the world seemed a lot brighter now thanks to the political change. It had been five years since the infamous re-wedding at the Rainbow Room, and they all had to agree that there was no way that a certain person would get preferential treatment over them there now. When that fact was brought up in passing, Sebastian suddenly felt old; he had been married for such a long time now, but then again, Nick and Jeff had been married even longer. They also had a son, and of that fact he was increasingly jealous. He and Dave had been trying for a few months now, but so far their surrogate had not uttered the magic words, and that was starting to be frustrating. It was some relief that he was now an uncle twice over. He adored Peter, but he was getting older by the day and was starting to exhibit some worryingly Smythe family traits; and then there was Sienna, who had Uncle Bazzy wrapped round her little finger already. Still, it was never going to feel the same as fatherhood would, and as he watched his two old friends across the room as they interacted with their boy, he silently prayed that he and Dave would be in the same position sooner rather than later…
After the excitement of the wedding, it seemed all too soon that the end of the year was upon them. With it though came the delight that the current incumbent at the oval office would be leaving it all too soon, and as a result, they would all feel less like the most undesirable nationality in the world. There was of course much speculation about exactly what would happen to him after he had formally left office, although most people reasoned some sort of trial, and certainly no great Presidential library would be built to commemorate him… There was also a rumour doing the rounds that he was refusing to actually go through with the official handover process, claiming that the new President was elected falsely; he was even it was said considering going to court with the same claims of vote rigging and collusion that he had made when the midterms had not gone entirely his way two years earlier. They were only rumours though; none of the news networks were giving much credence to the story, or even time to the man. Even that most loyal of stations, Fox News, was now ignoring him, mentioning him only in passing, and his family had also been shunned, and pushed from the media spotlight…
There would be no big party that New Year's Eve at the Trump Tower; it had been cancelled in a fit of rage by the man the building was named for, just as Christmas had been, leaving the building looking cold and devoid of decoration. There would also be no parties that night amongst the group of old friends, given that many had to work that night or the next day, or had young children to think of. In the end, they had all gathered for an informal lunch, if they could, the next day at the Spotlight. In some ways, such a gathering suited them all much more as they grew older. It was there that the official announcement of the completion of the sale of the Bushwick loft was made; they had all known, but those words drew a line under part of their mutual history. The building it was in had been a home to many of them, and the bigger loft had seen parties and celebrations, but also the saddest of days. However, they could all see that it was not a practical home for two married couples, and they would always have their memories to look back on…
The first Monday of the new year came soon enough, and with it Trent's first day in the 'shadow' West Wing, so to speak. They would not move into the actual one until after the big handover, and there were some in the building that feared the state of the place when they did get there; it was widely rumoured that the tasteful décor of the former First Lady had been removed and replaced with the kind of flash glitter that the current President loved… The people that Trent found himself working with were an eclectic mix of youth and experience, although at the moment he was the youngest employee in the room. His first job as he already knew was to help pen the speech that the whole world it seems was eagerly anticipating hearing at the end of the month. He had already sketched out some rough concepts before he had arrived, and he was quick to assemble a basic outline for the speech he felt should be given. He felt quite nervous about producing those notes when the group tasked with the speech met up for the first time, but the noises from them all on reading it were favourable.
Indeed, the most senior of the small team went so far as to pat him on the back, then said, "There were some people that had their doubts about entrusting a young man like you with such an important task. However, I had heard a number of the speeches that you had written for Burt Hummel, and I was certain that you could deliver just what we need. Your basic outline works well, and I think we should use it as our base line, and just flesh it out a bit. As you say, we need to make this speech simple and accessible; make everyone feel that it is being aimed at them. The metaphors you have used about the need for healing, and the idea of asking for forgiveness for past errors of judgement are also quite commendable. I like it, and the President will do too. My only worry is that if you carry on like this, you will soon be taking over my job, Mr Nixon…"
Trent blushed furiously at that, but inside he felt more than a little bit of pride at himself for a change. Maybe all the people that he had talked to about taking this job were right, and their faith in him was not as unjustified as he often believed…
