New Adventures for Niff.

All too soon it was July, which saw a coming together on a grand scale for two reasons; the gala opening of Jeff's first exhibition, and the second birthday of little Wes. Although the fact it was their son's birthday had been Jeff's main motivation in choosing the date for his opening, the fact it was also a Monday ensured that all of his friends who worked in Broadway would also be free. Nick had been given the day off work as part of the policy of the UN, and so they were able to enjoy a leisurely morning, watching together as their boy opened his gifts, expressing his delight in each one, especially those that he had been pointing out for a few weeks. He still liked the simpler toys and his books; his reading and number skills were well advanced, and his vocabulary and speech were excellent too. Nick gave the credit for most of that to Jeff, who had spent much of his free time tutoring their son, getting him ready for the new adventure that would begin next month - kindergarten. Wes did enjoy his visits to the parent and toddler group, and he had made friends quickly; most of them would be heading to the same kindergarten, giving him that all important continuity, and there was every likelihood that he would be with them for his elementary schooling too.

It was still too early for his fathers to decide if he would follow in their footsteps and head to Dalton, although Peter Smythe would be heading there in a few weeks; after much heart searching by Julian, he had decided that if his son wanted to go, he should not stop him, and if it left him with the close circle of friends that his brother had then it would benefit him for the rest of his life. He would however miss his son terribly, and he had already told both Isabelle and Sebastian that when the time came for him to leave, it would be his father that would be sobbing…

As a number of Wes' friends had been invited to a party in the West Village that afternoon, most of the adults decided that they would wish Wes a Happy Birthday at the gallery opening later. His grandparents did make an appearance though, alongside his Aunt Grace and Uncle Cooper with his two young cousins. To most people's surprise, his Uncle Bazzy turned up too, claiming that he was just in the neighbourhood, but Nick correctly surmised that with the birth of his own child now only a few weeks away, Sebastian wanted to immerse himself in the world of children, so to speak, and his eager volunteering to be the one that changed the twins' diapers when the time came spoke volumes for that. Mrs Duval and the Sterlings, who could recall all that they had been told about Sebastian in his Dalton days marvelled at the transformation in the young man quietly, and all agreed that he seemed to have a natural way with children.

The other adult that paid a visit that afternoon was, of course, his Uncle Mike, who was greeted with great enthusiasm by the birthday boy. He was greeted with just as much delight by Caleb later, when he headed up to Jeff's studio to pay him a visit later on. Mike had come to escape Tina for a while, as she was starting to stress about her wedding day in the worst possible way; she had concerns about her dress, the venue, the food, the celebrant… Mike had refrained from expressing his own opinion on the situation of course, which was that in his eyes, all that mattered was that they would be a couple in the eyes of the law. He knew Tina well enough now to know that such a statement would not go down well…

Jeff left the birthday party early, as he had to head to the gallery to check it out one final time. It was a big deal for him after all, and the impression that people got today was going to shape his future so much. The triumph of The Judging Angel would be forgotten if this show was a disaster, and failed to impress the critics. The gallery's owner seemed to be more than satisfied, and he had had an angelic nod of approval too. The critics were of course just one source of comment; there would also be the judgement of his friends, and they mattered just as much, if not more. So many of them were portrayed around the room in some small way, and others had a much more prominent role.

He had reluctantly agreed with Nick that Caleb would not enjoy the gallery at all, and his behaviour at the party had proven that; he had sprinted up the stairs the moment that the children had started to arrive, not liking the noise, the strangers, and the sight of paint and glue. Little Wes knew not to touch him when he had art stained hands, but the other children did not, and he was taking no chances…

Jeff soon found himself wandering round the exhibition space, looking with a critical eye at each and every piece of work he had on display, knowing that it was too late to change everything, but if something looked really wrong or out of place, he could always remove it. The food and drink that people expected at these things had been set up in the reception room, and he was tempted to invite the staff that would be handing it out to come in and give him their honest opinion - they were art students in the main after all - but he resisted. If the reaction was going to be bad, then he wanted Nick at his side; he could face anything then… He smiled a little then, and was so glad that he had chosen to give pride of place at the entrance to a framed copy of the little invitation card he had drawn for his own wedding; the one that was a reproduction of a sketch done after a childhood dream…

It was the first thing that everyone noticed that evening as they arrived and gathered in the reception room. Nick smiled broadly the moment that he saw it, and grinned all the more as his son said "That's Daddy and Papa!" to the world at large. As he said that, Nick's boss had just arrived and was standing next to them. She looked at him with curiosity, and Nick smiled back at her.

"It's true; our wedding invitation, which was a reproduction of a sketch that Jeff drew after a dream when he was five, just before that man altered the course of his life…"

Miss Worthington nodded, knowing the full story of how Jeff had been adopted, and who his real father was. She also knew that little Wes did not know, and would never be told the whole truth until he was old enough to understand the whole history of events. "He certainly did capture the pair of you, even then. I am looking forward to seeing what else he has created." At that moment, Nick spotted Elspeth walking in, and he beckoned her over, and made introductions, leaving the two women to talk as he headed off to mingle with the other guests. He spotted Trent and Rory deep in conversation with Sebastian and Dave, and he had to suppress his laughter when he realised that they were comparing sonogram pictures of their unborn children. On seeing him, Trent broke away and came to wish little Wes a happy birthday, and was rewarded with a hug for his troubles.

David appeared just moments later, and received every bit as enthusiastic a hug. "Sorry I am a little late. Mercedes asked me to say hello, and to say that she will be along shortly. She has a bit of an upset stomach, or something; she has actually been sick the last few mornings, but she is usually fine in the evening… Anyway, I left Thad sitting with her; he thought that I should be the one to come along as I haven't seen you guys for longer. So how is Jeff? Nervous and stressed, or strangely calm?"

Nick looked at David with a grin; he and Trent had looked at each other as he had talked about his wife, and both wondered how someone as smart as David could be so naïve about what was possibly causing her symptoms. "He has been the latter when I have been around, but knowing my husband, he will probably be panicking in private. He has been here a few hours now, and I have had visions of him taking everything in there down and starting over again…"

"He didn't actually, which surprised me too," came a familiar voice behind them, and they all smiled to see the elder Wes standing there. "I think, having seen it, that everyone is going to be impressed and shocked at the same time…"

At that point, Nick was approached by one of the waiting staff, and told that Jeff was ready for him to come and see what lay within; David was invited too, and they were joined at the door to the gallery space by Sebastian, Trent, Ethan, Flint and Beats. Thad came running up just as they were about to head in, greeted by a happy shout of "Uncle Thaddie!" from little Wes.

"Mercedes is feeling better; she is with Burt and Carole," he said directly to David, who glanced round to see his wife; that allowed Nick to mouth the word 'pregnant' to Thad, who nodded once to confirm that he shared that suspicion, then smiled broadly at the prospect.

Then they were inside, and face to face with a lifesize drawing of Nick and Jeff with little Wes in his father's arms, and Caleb curled round Jeff's legs. Nick gasped, as he had not even known that Jeff had been drawing it. "I know that it is a shock for you, Nicky, but it was such an easy thing to draw; I know every inch of you," came his husband's voice as he stepped into view, and Nick could only nod, before pulling him into a hug.

The others allowed them their moment and set off into the room to explore. Thad burst into laughter as he found a drawing of Nick, Jeff, Trent and Sebastian dressed in the full regalia of those fabled musketeers of Dumas' novel; he could only wonder if it came from Jeff's imagination, or they had actually posed. As he read the label, explaining what it meant, he heard a sigh of relief from four voices, and he correctly surmised that it came from his four year cohorts at Dalton as they found that the infamous drawing had been redone with the non Dalton students removed and the uniform put back on. Meanwhile, Sebastian and Trent were standing in front of the near full size drawing of themselves as Mormon Elders; just slightly in caricature, and as wonderful a picture as they had ever seen…

That impression was create over and over as the other guests were allowed in to see what Jeff had created. Mike smiled broadly at the picture of himself holding a contented Caleb in his arms, and could recall the day that he had posed for the sketch; he had never imagined that it would be drawn up so beautifully. He was therefore rather nonplussed to see that it bore a sticker that said 'Sold' on it; that was until Jeff came over and confided in him that like all the other items that bore that mark, it had never been intended to be on sale, and was in fact a wedding gift from himself to Mike. That earned Jeff another hug.

Most of the more intimate pictures of family and friends were not for sale; there were others that were though; landscapes in the main, along with a number of drawings of Caleb in various poses, and a series of fashion illustrations. Buyers were already forthcoming, anxious to be able to say that they owned a Sterling-Duval original, and had bought one whilst they were still affordable. Sebastian found himself torn between wishing he owned the drawing of himself and Trent, and another of him as Curly McLain. He was not that shocked when Jeff came over and informed him that he had one of him as Emcee in the works, as he was chronicling his friends career. He also admitted that he would like to do one of him with his Aunt Bette, if that lady could be persuaded to pose for him, naturally. Before Sebastian could answer, Jeff was swept off his feet by Santana; she had just found his drawing of her as Evita, and she now considered the blond Warbler as her new best friend…

The opening was an unqualified success; all those that were on display in his works were more than happy with the way they had been portrayed, and there was a great deal of laughter too. Cooper was glad to see that the drawing of himself in Charlie Price's boots from the finale of Kinky Boots had been placed next to the drawings of Sebastian and Santana, and indeed those of Sam and Mason, both of whom had known nothing about them beforehand. At first, Rachel had looked a little hurt, until she turned the corner and found her portrait, much larger than the others and clad in her wedding dress; Kurt's designs had made it easy for Jeff to work from a still in Artie's wedding video to create a signature work. No-one minded that her portrait was largest; as Santana stated quietly, it matched her ego. Santana of course recognised where the Warbler group portrait had originated, and had winked at Jeff, making him blush fiercely for a few moments…

There was a moment of great excitement when a limo drew up outside, and someone special took up the invite that had been proffered to them. It also had all the press cameras going, as nobody had expected to see Lady Gaga; Jeff hurried straight over as she walked in, thanking her profusely for coming, and then gave her a guided tour. As they walked round, Bette walked in, as Sebastian had hinted that she might - and that seemed to open the floodgates to the celebrity world. Jeff was left stunned at the number of famous people that he found himself being introduced to. It felt almost surreal to some of his friends too, to be in such an environment. For Santana, she had a very hard time convincing Brittany that Harry Potter had not just strolled; in the end she gave up, and just let her run over to talk to Daniel Radcliffe. For his part, he just smiled and chatted back; he was quite used after all to be called Harry by fans…

In the end, a tired little Wes was taken home by the Sterlings, Nick staying on to be there at his husband's side, startled at just how many of the great and the good knew who he was and what he did too. He posed with Jeff for what seemed like a million press photographs, most of them next to the lifesize drawing of themselves. He also went and mingled with the others, taking time to chat to all those that had travelled cross country in some cases just to be there to support Jeff that night. Eventually things began to die down, and the guests drifted away, until only he and Jeff were left with the staff.

"I think that it went well," said Nick, looking at his one true love who seemed to be in a state of shock. "I never had any doubts that it would, of course, given how talented you are, my love."

"It did, almost too well," Jeff replied. "I was only going to ask Bette if I could draw her, given that I know her a little bit thanks to her friendship with Sebastian, but then it snowballed. Lady Gaga wants me to draw a portrait of her…"

"A commission of sorts, I suppose…"

"Yes. She insisted that she will pay me, and she wants me to produce something that can go in pride of place in her home."

"Well, I hope that you agreed," said Nick, giving his husband a wink.

"I did; how could I refuse? The thing is, once I agreed to her, suddenly everyone else was wanting to commission me too. They all want the same style; a coloured pencil piece like The Judging Angel. I am going to be busy with them for a while, and that was before Trent handed me the letter…" Nick looked at Jeff with curiosity, but his husband's next words left him speechless. "It was from the President. They usually get someone in to paint an official portrait of the President, but he is a fan of my work and he has decided that he would like me to do it instead; they want me to draw the first official portrait of President Kennedy…"

Nick could still barely believe that latter piece of news as he got ready for work the following day. Even having seen the letter, it was still such a surprise that his husband had been selected to draw something that would be hung in the White House for generations; in all likelihood, it would even be reproduced and hung in government offices across the nation, and even in the embassies abroad. Jeff would of course agree, and that would mean he would have to go to Washington to make his sketches, with at least one overnight stay being involved, and an official dinner at the White House as well. The invitation extended to Nick too, of course, and he had to admit that it would be quite an honour, one which he had never expected.

His husband was up later than usual that day, to find that Nick had already got little Wes ready for the day, had served him his breakfast, and was now preparing pancakes for his husband. "I still keep thinking that what happened last night was all a dream… Being asked to draw all those famous people, and then the President himself…it is a little scary if I am honest," admitted Jeff.

"True, but it should be simple for someone of your talents," said Nick in an encouraging tone. "As the art critic says this morning on the New York Times website, 'Mr Sterling-Duval is quite possibly one of the greatest artists of the 21st Century, as is shown in his current exhibition, Modern Families. All his works shows that The Judging Angel was no fluke, and he has a real talent for capturing the essence of whatever he draws.' All of the critics say the same, by the way. You are a hit…"

When Nick arrived at work that morning, it was to find a memo on his desk, asking him to come to Miss Worthington's office at 10am for a meeting to discuss his future. The wording gave him a bit of a jolt, and his mind was instantly thrown back to the last time he had been invited to a meeting for that purpose, on that occasion by Lionel Vallent. He knew in his head of course that this was nothing similar, but in his heart he felt an ache nonetheless at the prospect. He put it to one side for now, and completed his usual morning tasks, checking through his E-mail and then doing the first research of the day for the new paper he had been asked to prepare. He left off his work on time, and then strolled down the corridor to arrive at his immediate boss' door at 10am sharp. He knocked, and then entered when asked, taking a seat across from her.

"I see that all of the reviews for your husband's show last night have been very positive, and I agree with them all wholeheartedly. He is a very talented young man, and when we get a new Secretary General, I am intending to suggest that we consider asking him to prepare the official portrait - that is if you think that your husband would consider doing?" asked Miss Worthington.

"He probably would, yes. He has been asked to draw a few other people after last night, but by the time that we would need him to be here, he should have completed all of those other commissions," responded Nick with a smile.

"Good. Now, on to the reason that I asked you to come and see me. As you will recall from your induction process, one of the requirements that we have here in this department is that you work a year abroad. That moment has now been confirmed for you, as we were anxious you should have completed it prior to your son attending elementary school. We will be transferring you for a year to one of the branch offices to act as an advisor on rights issues in July of next year. I have arranged it so that your departure date will be a few days after your son's third birthday, and that you should return just before his fourth in 2023."

"Well, I knew that this was coming, and I would like to thank you for arranging the dates to fit in with that important date. Can I ask where I will be going?" said Nick, in a little bit of fear it might be somewhere awful.

"Given all of the issues that remain in the aftermath of the process of Brexit, it has been decided that London should be your destination. Given that, I assumed that you would wish to travel as a family and not alone," Miss Worthington replied with a smile.

That night Nick headed home in the knowledge that he would have to tell Jeff that the moment had come, and he was a little nervous about it. Yes, it was an English speaking country, they had been to London before, and from what he had been shown, they would be generously provided for in terms of a budget for accomodation; it would just be a question of finding one close to good transport links and amenities. However, it was still a year spent thousands of miles away from their family and friends, and there would be one member of their little family that could not practically be with them - Caleb.

He stopped at a drug store on his way home to pick up a few packs of red vines, which his husband preferred as a gesture gift over chocolates or flowers; it would also indicate to Jeff that there was something up the moment that he saw them. Nick knew what was for dinner that evening, as he had prepared the casserole in question on Sunday, leaving it ready to just be heated up, saving Jeff time in the process. Sure enough, he could smell it as soon as he walked through the front door, the aroma helping him to hurry down the stairs to the kitchen, where his son greeted him as warmly as ever. Jeff smiled at the scene as he sorted out the dinner plates, but it faded just a little as he saw the red vines. With dinner served, they ate as a family, letting Wes do most of the talking as he described all of his new toys in detail. That was followed by the now usual hour of playing with his dad before it was time for his bath and bed. As they did so, Jeff was unusually quiet, but that was partly due to the fact he was eating red vines…

Once Wes was tucked up in bed and asleep, Nick and Jeff headed into the drawing room. Jeff took a seat on the sofa, then looked at Nick in expectation. In silence, Nick handed the file that Miss Worthington had prepared for him over to his husband; he opened it, and began to skim through the contents, eventually setting it aside with a smile that was a little broader. "So, essentially, this time next year you will be heading to London…" Jeff began.

"No, we will be heading to London, as a family - unless of course you would rather stay here with Wes yourself; I would totally understand it if you did," teased Nick.

"Never! I did like London a lot when we went before, and it will be a good adventure for Wes. So how much do we know about where we will be living?"

"They are leaving it up to us to chose somewhere, but have allocated us a genrous budget. Housing in London can be expensive, particularly in the better areas, and we will need what everyone wants; a nice house, with plenty of space, in an area that has good amenities. They will make a few suggestions, but in the end the choice will be ours. They also have no problem with us adding to the budget ourselves if we see something we really like."

"That is good, given that I won't be allowed to have a job or anything. Essentially I will be a house husband for a year…."

"Not quite. You will still be allowed to do your current illustration work and your drawings; you just won't be allowed to take any form of paid work in a business. I'm afraid that you can't even give free lectures to anyone, so strict are the rules."

"Caleb is a problem, but I am guessing that maybe Mike and Tina could have him for a year; he has always loved Mike…."

"I know you will miss him, my love, and if there was any way we could take him with us, we would. But it wouldn't be fair on him, all the travel and then the quarantine rules on either side…"

"Well, apart from that, I am actually looking forward to this experience," said Jeff, taking his husband's hand. "We will need to let everyone know we are going in good time though. They will miss us just as much as we will miss all of them."

"I am looking forward to it too. I also have a funny feeling that we will need to have a spare bedroom or two, as we might get one or two visitors," replied Nick, hoping that everything in London would be as good as they anticipated.

The end of the month came with the announcement that both Nick and Thad had been anticipating; an excited David announced to them all in one of their regular group Skype chats that Mercedes was pregnant, and although it was not something they had planned, they were both highly delighted with the news. She had been intending to take a break from her touring schedule at the end of the year in any case, having promoted her new album across the globe at the start of the year, and the news would not upset her label too much. Had it done so, and had they threatened to drop her, it would not have mattered in any case; she was one of the nation's hottest recording stars, and another label would have taken her on without a moment's hesitation had she split from her current one.

As the news spread, their came another announcement, and this time heads turned towards a home in the West Village. Artie and Kitty had taken everyone by surprise when they announced that they too were expecting a child in the very near future. Some had suspected that Kitty would not be too amused at the prospect of having to take a career break, but as she pointed out, she would not actually have to do so anyway. She had the means through the computer system she had installed at home to carry on with her work right up until the last days; indeed, right up to the second that she felt the contractions. That had attracted a few raised eyebrows, but none of them had any doubt that she would be able to pull such a move off. In addition, the help buttons that had been installed around the house for the previous handicapable resident had never been disconnected, so they could be used by Artie's wife should she need assistance, regardless of where she was in the house. Nonetheless, the fact that she was intending to carry on working was noted by a group of angels, and they steeled themselves to the idea that they might have to intercede again…

Nick observed to Jeff that night that they seemed to be experiencing a mini baby boom; the number of children that were expected to arrive within their circle of friends was now six. "The term baby boom is quite the appropriate one," observed Jeff. "After all, the last time one happened was after a major global conflict; this time, we are emerging from another great tragedy, a time when no-one was willing to bring a child into the world apart from us. I guess we were just more optimistic than the others that the good times would return."

"And now that the crisis is over, everyone feels that it is safe to have a baby," said Nick with a laugh.

"Exactly! Of course, we were always the trendsetters…" added Jeff, which made Nick shake his head with a grin on his face.