The new au pair, and a homecoming.
As March drew towards its close, the world saw its first glimpse of a widowed Queen Elizabeth II. She made her first appearance at a charity event, and the change was evident. She had always worn bright colours, to make herself visible to all of those around her, but now she was in more muted tones. It was not the grey or black as worn by her ancestor Queen Victoria, but paler shades of dark tones. She wore a dark blue ensemble, unadorned with jewels, save for a brooch of black jet, reviving a tradition of more than a century ago. The members of the crowd at the event had been forewarned that if she spoke to them, they were not to express their condolences, however sincere, nor were they to mention the death at all. It was presumed that after receiving the condolences of so many people from all over the world, she was tired of hearing those words and wished to move past that initial stage. Another thing that was noticed by the world was that her eyes seemed to have dimmed just a little, and that they seemed full of a sadness that was lodged deep in her heart….
It was the day after that first appearance that the letter arrived, requesting the presence of Nick, Jeff and Wes at Windsor Castle on Sunday 2nd April for the public unveiling of what Her Majesty was referring to as a portrait of the happiest of couples. There was no possibility of declining the invitation naturally, nor was it a surprise that the entire little family was on the guest list. There was a separate note in the same post from the Duchess, stating that the dress code would be smart casual rather than formal, and that her own children would also be present, so their was no need to worry about Wes not being entertained. She also disclosed the guest list; family, including some of the more distant relatives, a selection of art experts, and the best of the media of course. Jeff felt strangely calm for once about the big event, and he noted with a grin that it was Nick that was a little panicky over the affair, having never attended a function at one of the great royal houses before, whereas he had been to Buckingham Palace for the art show. The fact that they had swapped their usual roles did make him smile just a little…
In the same week in New York, Rachel's show began its previews, as across the Great White Way, her husband and Cooper were giving it their all as they entered the final fortnight together in The Producers. As they had predicted, the news of their departure had caused a rush on ticket sales, and even although they added two extra matinees in the last weeks, the show was sold out well in advance. Their replacements had also been chosen. Sam's understudy had been only too willing to take over the role, but Cooper's had chosen to decline, and so he had been replaced by someone that had been a complete surprise. They had continued on the idea of a younger Max, but still, when Daniel Radcliffe had walked in to the director's office, they had all been shocked, and Sam's understudy had been rendered speechless. He had been working with Cooper, and the latter had to admit, he might even be better at the role than him… When his name was announced, the ticket sales had soared again, and the show was now sold out well into the summer…
Sam was looking forward to a short break from work after that; shooting on his sitcom would not begin until early June. It would however now be a hectic time as he tried to find a new helper to replace their au pair. The search might well be easier than he had anticipated though, thanks to Mercedes. She and David would be heading back to Boston in the middle of May, when David's secondment at the UN was completed, and they had managed to find someone there to takeover from Roderick as a daily help. They had asked him to consider coming with them of course, but as they had expected, he had declined. To him New York was now home, and he had his nursing course lined up to get those essential qualifications for his own future. He had been able to replenish his savings whilst working in the West Village, and could take his time in finding a new job. Mercedes had decided to help him with that, and had mentioned his name to Sam as a possible help for him and Rachel, even just as a stop gap. To say that the latter had had a few reservations would have been an understatement. However, Mercedes had invited them both to afternoon tea, and there they had seen Roderick in action with Simon. The moment that they had stepped back out into the street, she had tasked Sam with securing him as their new home help…
Sam knew that his task would not be an easy one. He loved his wife, but she had the reputation of being a bit of a diva, and that had not been helped by the grandiose nature of their wedding. Mercedes was kind hearted and relatively easy going, whereas his wife was a stickler for perfection in all things, particularly where there daughter was concerned. That tendency was the main reason why their current au pair was heading home, and Sam knew it, although it had never been spoken of. Then there was the other obstacle; unlike the West Village, Bedford-Stuyvesant was not a simple trip from Roderick's home in Murray Hill. There was no way he could walk, and there would also be a change of subway en route, making the day much longer than he was used to working for Mercedes and David…
One thing that was positive was the fact that Rachel would be at home until noon most days, then out well into the night with her show; he would be home most of the time before 8pm from filming, and on those nights, and on the nights that things did go on longer, he was sure that either Stevie or Stacey would take care of Barbra, so Roderick's working day would be shorter. The final ace up his sleeve was the fact that the hourly rate Mercedes and David currently paid Roderick was less than they paid the au pair, so he could give him a pay rise without any additional costs to himself, unless he asked for danger money…
The problem now was getting a chance to see him again. He was busy with the show, and when he wasn't at the theatre, he was learning his TV scripts or supporting Rachel as she stressed over her show. Even then, it did not seem right either just to rock up to the West Village house unannounced to ask anyway. He confided as much to Cooper and he just laughed. "I have been in your position myself, and in the end I just delegated the job to Grace and let her make all the decisions. She had more spare time, a luxury that you don't have given that both of you work in the world of show. I guess that I could try and find out when he is free, and you could bump into him one day…"
Cooper was true to his promise, but it seemed that the fates wanted to conspire against Sam from the start; he was busy whenever Roderick wasn't, and vice versa. Seeing the stress his younger 'brother' was going through, Cooper decided to take matters into his own hands. He made a call to Mercedes, and she agreed that on the day of one of their final matinees Roderick could be a little late in starting; on the day in question, Cooper made the bemused young man come to the theatre with him. "I really do not understand why you have brought me here," said Roderick the second that Cooper marched him through the stage door. "Unless of course you are trying to tell me that there is some scandal or issue with your replacement, and want to give me, your tenant, the journalistic scoop that could make the career of a freelancer like myself."
"I am afraid that I will have to disappoint you there; Daniel is as wholesome as wholesome can be, and is already word perfect. No, it is Sam that I have brought you here to speak to. He has been needing to chat with you for days, but trying to find a time when both of you were free proved impossible for him, and he didn't know how to broach the subject anyway, so I decided that the best thing to do was bring you to him. I might also have taken the liberty of calling your employer to make sure you could start later and so be here to see him."
"You called Mercedes?"
"Yes, and of course, she does have a soft spot where Sam is concerned, thanks to them dating for a short while when they were at McKinley together, so she had no problem with agreeing to it." As he had been talking, he had been guiding Roderick to the door of Sam's dressing room, and now they were outside; he knocked on the door, then turned to Roderick and said, "If you will excuse me, Daniel and I have to run over a few lines…" He stopped as the door opened and Sam stood there, looking confused. "Ah, Sam, visitor for you. Thank me later…" With that, Cooper was gone…
"Did he drag you down here today?" said Sam apologetically.
"Yep, and interfered with my work schedule to enable him to do it. He is quite incorrigible… Anyway, he said that you needed to talk to me. Now please tell me that Rachel doesn't want me to write all about her opening night; I don't really do showbiz reporting. Ask me to write about politics, the law, court cases and social issues and I am your man; all of the celeb stuff, unless it involves a juicy scandal, doesn't sit that well with me."
"No, that is not why I wanted to see you," said Sam with a chuckle, "although I will point out all that you have just said to my darling wife before she gets any ideas. It is easier that way. She can sometimes be hard to handle…"
"Her reputation does proceed her I'm afraid. I heard all about her from the day I set foot in McKinley. Personally, I have never had any sort of issue with her; yes, she is a diva, but that is down to her level of dedication to her craft…"
Sam smiled, then carried on. "So if I was to say to you that my reason for wanting to see you was to tell you that our current au pair has quit, and that your name was suggested as a possible replacement, you would at least consider the idea, and not run screaming for the hills…"
"Well, no, but the thing is that I have a full-time nursing course that I am starting in mid September, and that will mean that I am occupied for most of the week."
"That's not an issue. We need someone that is able to start in mid June, so even if you could work for us over the summer, that would be an enormous help. It would give me a good breathing space to find someone more permanent."
Roderick was silent for a few moments, and then said, "If I am being honest, I wouldn't say no to the job. The chance to make a little more money to help me through my course would be great, and I am sure that I can cope with Rachel for a short while…"
"So is that a yes?"
"I guess so, although I will need to know my terms and conditions."
Sam smiled, the said, "We would be willing to pay you the same hourly rate as we pay our current au pair, which is a couple of bucks more than you are getting just now. As either myself or my brother and sister are usually home by 8pm, we would not expect you to work after that time, except in an emergency, and if that did happen, we would pay double time, and get you a taxi home. Speaking of that, we will also be paying you a travel allowance, as we are further out than the West Village; we are a couple of blocks from the subway, and you would only have to make one change from Murray Hill. As for the days, it would be a Tuesday to Saturday job, as the show will not be shooting on a Sunday, and Rachel is off on a Monday. We would not ask you to work any more hours than you currently do a week either."
Roderick was quiet for a moment, then replied, "So as I work 40 hours a week, that would be an extra $80. You have a deal, although the travel allowance isn't necessary, as the fare won't be any higher than I would pay to the West Village."
"We insist on it though, so what about we meet in the middle with a compromise of $15 a week extra, giving you an extra $150 at the end of the 10 weeks or so you will be free?"
"Okay, I can be persuaded to accept that. I will however state here and now that if any divaesque behaviour should start up from your wife, then I will walk away if it escalates too much. I think that she is extremely talented, but I have a limit as to what I can endure like everyone else."
"I will do what I can to restrain Rachel, but I cannot promise that Barbra will not act that way; she is starting to exhibit some of her mother's character traits, and the person that is the most concerned about that is, of course, Rachel…"
Roderick burst out laughing at the idea of the glee club diva being stressed about her child acting the way she probably did, then shook Sam's hand as a sign he was taking the role, before organising with him to come out to Bedford Stuyvesant the following Monday to see the house, and meet the young lady he would be taking care of that summer.
The end of the month was rapidly approaching, and as it did, the weather began to warm up, albeit with showers on a daily basis. It seemed as if the month of April would be much the same too, although the weather promised to be good it seemed for the day Nick, Jeff and little Wes were expected at Windsor. The Sunday before however was wet at first, but by midday the showers had died out. This was perfect timing, as it meant it was dry as they headed up to Shepherd's Bush and the Westfield Shopping Centre. They were not there to shop, but to take Wes to Kidzania again. For all the time that they had now been living in the city, and all the times his son had been there, this was Nick's first visit to the play area, and he had to admit that he was more than a little impressed by the set up…
He settled down in the parent's area with a coffee and let his two children play. He smiled as he watched them, thinking just how carefree his husband was these days, after all of their troubles a decade ago… and that was when it hit him. It was almost ten years since that fabled kiss a week before graduation; the one that had declared to the world that he and his heart and soul belonged to Jeff Sterling. It had also of course precipitated the events that would lead up to the breakdown of his parent's marriage. It was almost 10 years to the day too since that most epic of proposals, when they had all danced around at Dalton Academy as Blaine created the most magical of moments for Kurt. With a further start, Nick realised that it was also almost a decade since Finn had died, the first of Hunter's victims…
He shook his head sadly, then moved his thoughts back to happier things. How was he going to mark 10 years of happiness with his soulmate; what gift could possibly be suitable? If they had been back at home in New York, then he could have thrown a party for all their friends in the townhouse, a celebration of all that they meant to each other with the people that cared for them. Such a party would not be possible here. He could however arrange to have a long weekend away from work and go off together as a family for a short holiday, possibly to the north of Scotland. They had spent a weekend in Snowdonia, another in the Lake District, and a day on the Norfolk Broads in a boat, but they had never been anywhere in Scotland outside Glasgow and Edinburgh on that trip years ago now….
He pulled out his phone, then went online to see what they could potentially do. He smiled as he saw the perfect itinerary for a long weekend in the Highlands, which would involve a sleeper train, a ferry boat, an island, mythical monsters and a loch. There would also be a little bit of magic on the way. He saved the page, determined to book all of it when they reached home, and surprise his husband with a new adventure…
He suddenly realised he was being watched, and looked up to see a fed up Wes in front of him. "Papa is hogging the fire engine again!" exclaimed his son. "Can you tell him that it is my turn now?" Nick looked at his son, and couldn't help himself; he laughed out loud. He did however get up and dragged Jeff off the fire engine, ignoring his protests, and sat him down at the table so that could sit their together with the other parents who were all acting their age. He was ashamed to admit to himself that he had had to resort to promising his husband that he would make a special batch of cookies to get him to comply with his wishes…
The following day saw Finn head back home for a few days, to spend time with his friends and family as it officially became a decade since he had earned his wings. He was looking forward to seeing all of them, but he realised as he packed a bag for his trip that he would greatly miss someone whilst he was back home, and she was also coming to terms that his absence would actually leave a void in her own life, one that she had not even known existed just a few weeks ago. Emily travelled with Finn to the terminal where he would board his flight back to New York, and with his bag checked in, they said their goodbyes.
"I am going to miss you so much," said Finn sadly. "If I had known about this sooner, then I could have asked if you could come with me to meet everyone - if you would have liked to do that, of course."
"I have to admit that when I was alive, a trip to New York was always on my list of things that I wanted to do one day, although of course the city was a lot more dangerous in those days than it is now," replied Emily. "Of course, when we find the definitive proof, then I could insist on coming with you to present it to your boss, and then you could show me the sights…"
"I would love to do that… Is it wrong that there is a part of me that hopes we don't find that proof anytime soon? I mean, when we do, what happens to us? I have fallen head over heels in love with you, and the fact that I might never see you again once this mission is completed makes me feel physically sick."
"It is the same for me, which is why I have spoken to my boss already," said Emily. "It is possible for me to transfer to another country, if we can prove that we have a soul bond, and we both know that it is there. The catch is that there has to be a vacancy for me to fill. So, if you can find me a job over there, the I can follow you."
"You shouldn't have to give up your life here though; if you can get a transfer, then so could I. There are always vacancies for collectors…"
"Finn, the difference is that you have family and friends over there, in the Ohio section and on the mortal plain; I only have colleagues here. No, if we do this, you will be taking me back with you to America."
"There is no if; we are doing this. I will find you a job, even if it is in a neighbouring section. I love you so much, Emily…." With those words, Finn kissed her, and the sensation that they belonged together filled them both like an electric shock all over again. Then, with tears in both their eyes, they parted, comforted by the knowledge that it was only for a few days, and not for eternity…
The journey back home seemed much longer to Finn, but that was largely because he was awake for most of it, and unlike on a traditional plane, there were no in-flight movies to peruse, just games and a selection of reading… Arriving back in the New York terminal, he made his way through the corridors back to the Ohio section and the office of Elizabeth Hummel in record time, and was gratified to find her alone for once.
"Wes has taken the afternoon off to visit Thad, at my suggestion, so your arrival is well timed. I take it that there has been some progress with your task?" asked Elizabeth once she had Finn sitting down.
"More than a little; Emily is working on bringing all of the strands that we have found so far together to provide the one, solid case that you requested. With any luck, the completed dossier will be ready by the end of May. There are still a couple of items that we need to dig out, but it is not easy; the filing system is archaic for those years, and there was some disturbance during the war. Truth be told, the whole thing is fascinating, and I am excited to be a part of it, if I am completely honest."
"You should be very proud of all that you have achieved; based on what you have communicated privately to me so far, they will not be able to deny my request on the grounds of lack of proof. As such, I should be able to give my gift over to the recipient at the end of June, just as I had hoped. It will however end up being a very busy time for them all, as there are already two events scheduled for that time…"
Elizabeth smiled then went on, "So I believe that there have also been developments of a more personal nature for yourself? Now, you don't need to say a word, as I already know most of what has gone on. I am pleased to say that you and Emily are indeed soulmates; her boss and I have already run the tests. There are also a number of vacancies that are coming up; the closest to her current role is one for a researcher in the Oregon section, which is on the other side of the country in the mortal plain, but here in our alphabetical offices, right next door. I will put her name forward, and there will be interviews, but in the end, she will get a position. It is a mere formality. You will be able to be together. Now, as a result, maybe we need to let Kurt help you make some changes to your apartment. It is very nice, but it could do with a few more feminine touches…"
All of that would be for later; it was a very happy Finn that unpacked his bag, changed his clothes, then went to see his mom and Burt. Carole had been feeling a little down if she was honest, but she always did now at this time of year; the moment that she felt the draught however, she knew that her son was back, and her face lit up a little. There were hugs and tears, but less pain than before; he was back, he looked well and that was all there was to it. After a lot of small talk about England, he decided that he should broach the subject of Emily, and decided he would just come out and say it…
"So I might have met a girl in England, and well, I am in love with her, and she is in love with me…"
"A girl…in England?" said Carole, her face falling as she considered the prospect that her son might be going away permanently, which would hurt her more than she could say, even if it was for the best of reasons - love.
"Yes, mom, but she has no family over there that can see her, so she will be coming over here to join me for good once our work together in England is done. I cannot wait for all of you to meet Emily…"
Carole's face had lit up at the fact she would be coming to live with her son, and all that she could say to him in reply was, "If she makes you as happy as you are now, then I can't wait to meet her too…"
The news that Finn had met a special someone was quickly relayed by Carole to Burt, and Elizabeth also told his fellow angels. Blaine was pleased for him, having noted the tell tale signs of loneliness in the older angel since he had arrived in the realms himself. In the absence of Kurt during his Senior year at McKinley, he had thrown himself into every activity that was open to him at school, filling all of his free time with clubs and work, just as Finn did with his collections. If Emily was the person that would let him find a better work/life balance, then she was only to be welcomed. Kurt was pleased for his stepbrother too, if just a little sceptical at first that she could be his soulmate. After all, how could they ever have met if both had lived? He was also worried about how a certain mortal would take the news; how Rachel would react when she discovered that Finn was not her soulmate after all, and that Sam might well have been the one for her all the time. She would doubtless want to see him the moment that she discovered the truth, and at this particular time, it might well be a disaster when she did…
Wes was the most demonstrative of the three of them in showing his approval when Finn returned from visiting his mom. He found Wes waiting for him at his front door when he arrived. "So I was making my special chicken stir fry, and there is far too much, so I was wondering if you would like to come over and help me eat it; that is of course unless your mom has left you too full up to eat…"
"She didn't," replied Finn, "so I accept your kind invitation, even if there is a part of me doubts that the extra food was an accident…"
"It was!" exclaimed Wes in an innocent voice, "but it does give you a chance to tell me more about a certain young lady…"
Finn shook his head, but knew that Wes had his best interests at heart. After they had eaten, Finn surprising Wes by being very coy about how his task was going, the former moved on to telling him all about the angel that he knew was the love of his existence. Wes said nothing as Finn talked, and it was only when he had finished that he spoke. "I would probably keep quiet with most people about when she died. From what I can gather she is about four years older than you in angelic terms, but it is actually 42 years older in mortal terms, and that will freak quite a few people out."
Finn looked at him for a moment, then said, "I never thought about that before to be honest, but I guess that you are right. Had we both lived, then my soulmate would now be in her seventies. Santana and Puck would never let me live that one down, and as for my mom she would have freaked out on the spot. Having said that, it wouldn't make a difference to me these days. I have learned that age is just a number, and it is the person that we love that matters most. She is smart, beautiful, and she makes me laugh; this sounds wrong, but I am glad that she had no close ties in England…"
"Your mystery project has certainly proved fortuitous for you both; I would say without fear of contradiction that the odds of the two of you ever meeting would have been zero before. They will deny it, of course, but sometimes I think that the angelic council knows far more than they ever let on; they suggested Emily as your liaison because they needed the two of you to meet. We can of course function without it, but having love makes all the problems in the world fade just a little. I have Thad, even if it isn't all the time, and that knowledge does make me happier and keeps me sane. If I didn't have him, it might be a whole different story. My only regret is that I didn't act on my feelings for him sooner, which is why I am so glad that you through caution to the wind and acted on yours. I mean, we have eternity, but wasting even a second of that is silly…" Finn would spend the rest of that night with Wes, just chatting away together, the latter filling him in on all the stuff that he had missed in the angelic realm and also amongst his friends.
