Easter, & the End of a Mission.
Nick arranged to see the head of the London office of the UN the day after he spoke to his husband, and handed over his formal response to the offer. He smiled as Nick handed him the envelope, and said, "I do not even need to open this to know that your are thanking us, but declining our offer politely. It would have been wonderful to have had a man of your calibre on the team, Nick, but it was always a very long shot. Everyone else told me that your family and friendship ties would always take you home, which is why I have a plan B. I made contact with Miss Worthington in New York, and she has agreed that two mornings a week, we will have an open Skype session with you, between 9 and 12 your time. That way we can talk face to face on any urgent issues. You will now be the person responsible for dealing directly with any issues raised from the UK as well as your current job. It will also incur an annual week's visit to London, or maybe even just four days, with accommodation in a good hotel. Of course, both Jeff and Wes will be more than welcome to join you. Of course, all of that is subject to your approval."
"I think I could agree to that," Nick replied with a grin. "You are a small but excellent team here, and being able to continue working with you even in that small way would be good. Of course, the annual trip to London is quite an incentive, as long as it can be arrange to tie in with Wes' school vacations."
"I am sure that could be arranged."
"Likewise, if any of you wish to pay a visit to New York, then we have use of a guest house, in which we can accommodate you and your families. Jeff will have no issue with that, trust me."
"I might well take you up on that; I have two teenage sons that would love to visit New York, but the cost of a good hotel in the heart of the city and flights there is quite ruinous during the school holidays here."
Nick nodded, then took his leave, heading to his desk with a smile. He would call Miss Worthington himself later, tell her his decision, and let her know the dates that he intended on coming home. He was sure that when he explained about all the events that they had in their personal life at the end of June and the start of July, she would okay them without question. He tried to picture Jeff's face when he told him about the new offer that night, and how he would take to the prospect of an annual visit to London. He also now needed to check with Mike that the upper house at the end of the street would be free in August; as far as he was aware, his boss here had no holiday booked this summer as of yet, and being able to take his sons on the trip that they were desperate to make would certainly make him a popular father…
Nick's proposed return date met with no complaints from Miss Worthington; after all, the reports on his work and conduct had been so satisfactory that she had received a great deal of praise within the organisation for the way that they conducted the recruitment process. She had of course refused to accept it, mindful of the fact that it had been the misdemeanours of his previous employer that had left Nick in a position to accept the role with them. She was relieved that he was coming back to them; a few years ago they had sent someone to Paris for a year and they had never returned, and such things were always remembered…
The Easter weekend came and with it a four day weekend for Nick; as the weather was good, the little family were able to enjoy themselves and make the most of the time together on a series of outdoor excursions. They paid a visit to Kew Gardens on the Saturday, and on the Sunday they attended an Easter Egg hunt in the crowns of Kensington Palace. Nick and Jeff had stood back and allowed Wes to do most of the work at that event, then had watched with pride as he had shared the eggs he had found with children that had not been so fortunate. In keeping with the traditions of their current home, dinner that evening was a roast leg of lamb with mint sauce, and a side of boiled Jersey Royal potatoes, the first crop of the new season. Then there was a Simnel cake, another tradition. Unlike at Christmas, however, they did not attend a church service, but they did listen to one on the radio, letting the sound of the choir of King's College Cambridge fill the house. After dinner, they relaxed and undertook the usual evening routines, albeit in between Jeff eating copious amounts of chocolate, enjoying the distinctive British taste of Cadburys…
With a leaving date fixed however, time seemed to slow down on the eastern side of the Atlantic. On the western shore, on the contrary, the days seemed shorter, at least for Seth. He was in regular contact with Mrs Carmichael as she made the preparations for Skylar's big day at Dalton. Seth had been the one that had sat down with the bride and groom and asked them what they wished; he had been the one to ask Julia if she wished to hold the reception at the school too. She had agreed at once, knowing it would be logistically very convenient of everything could remain in the one location, and then there was the fact that she had been told on the quiet by Elliott that the catering at Santana and Brittany's wedding had been of the five star variety at a three star price. With that decision made, they had moved on to the type of menu that they wanted, and they had both agreed that they preferred a sit down meal to a buffet.
"I mean, as practical as the idea of a buffet is," explained Julia, "the fact remains that there is always one platter that remains untouched, whilst around it other things run out too fast and people are left disappointed. This way we can give our guests a meal that they will enjoy and will leave them satisfied."
When it came to the dessert options, she did raise an eyebrow at one particular dish being offered, until both of the young men next to her stated that they would be requesting it for their sweet course. She knew then that it had to be a Dalton favourite, and would doubtless be requested by all of the alumni that would be attending as a reminder of their school days. Once she had actually read the description properly, she had to admit that she would be tempted to order the caramel apple pudding for herself…
Mrs Carmichael was still awaiting the official numbers that would be in attendance, as there were still a few guests that had not sent pack their RSVP. Only once that was done could a seating plan be populated, and done in such a way that guests were encouraged to mingle, but at the same time, avoided their being conflict or unpleasantness. Julia had already pointed out that she had two aunts that both had to be invited, and had both indicated that they would be coming, but who hated the sight of each other, so would need to be seated far apart and out of eyeshot…
Providing accommodation for all of the guests was an easy task, but getting them all there was another matter; they could not have dozens of cars descend on the school, and so arrangements were made for parking to be elsewhere, and for coaches to ferry the guests to the premises. They also had to ensure that there was accessible transport available for both Artie, and for one of Skylar's cousins. That was before they even thought about the hiring of musicians, arranging a celebrant, or the colour of the décor in the wedding spot…
Mrs Carmichael was doing all of the practical work in Ohio, but Seth was still acting as a go-between, taking calls from her then calling Skylar or Julia, or vice versa; he had started to feel a strange degree of sympathy for telemarketers. For him, the only practical thing he had to arrange was the suit fitting day, which had somehow morphed into a mini bachelor party; the tailors it turned out had a special package which meant that the fittings were done in a private room with beers and chips. He did find the day to be an enjoyable one, although he had to abstain from the beer, for fear that it would clash with his medication. The day ended with all of them fitted with perfect suits, and a meal at the Heartland Brewery. There Seth remained resolutely sober, whilst his other housemates got drunk enough to lark about. The evening climaxed with Skylar telling Seth that he loved him, before he planted several kisses on his cheeks…
For the last few weeks, Elizabeth Hummel had been awaiting a message from Finn to say that he and Emily had made the crucial breakthrough and would be coming to see her in the next few days to present the evidence to her. As the end of April approached, she began to wonder if the scheme was going to fail. The time by which she needed the proof was getting very close, and although the progress reports stated that they were getting somewhere, so far nothing concrete had been achieved. With only 5 days left until the end of the month, the situation changed. A message was waiting for Elizabeth when she stepped into the office that morning, stating that Finn would be on the first flight back from London that day, and he would not be alone; he would be accompanied by Emily. A check on the schedule revealed that he would arrive in a little over two hours time, and Elizabeth knew that it meant one of two things; they had either found the definitive proof, or the trail had gone cold, and all of her hopes were about to be dashed…
Wes was not in the office that day, for which she was grateful, as there were things that he did not need to know about yet in the words that Finn would be saying to her if all was well. He had bought her story that the mission had been an excuse for his fellow angel to meet his soulmate, and that the information she had sent him to seek out was a very trivial affair anyway; a ruse to get him to take a break from his punishing work schedule. That could not be further from the case, and it was the lucky meeting with Emily that was less important to her. She ascertained that neither Kurt or Blaine knew that Finn was coming back too, and then sent them off on a busy collection schedule that would occupy them until Finn had been back for several hours. They would need to know what was going on soon, but the less time they knew, the less time there was for careless lips to spill the beans to her assistant….
As the shuttle prepared to land in New York, Finn felt happier than he had for a long time. He was heading home, with his mission over, at least as far as he was concerned. At his side was the woman that he was destined to love for the rest of eternity, just waking up after sleeping across the Atlantic. He had given her the window seat, which meant that she was able to see the Manhattan skyline as they came towards the terminal. Her face was alight with wonder as she saw it for the first time in reality, not just in a photo or on a screen. This had all been very last minute; he and Emily had been burning the midnight oil for the last fortnight, knowing that the time was running out for things to be ready for Elizabeth's deadline, and it had been just prior to midnight London time yesterday that with a cry of delight he had found the last document hidden in a box of miscellaneous papers, filed haphazardly in a store room that contained as much dust as data. Emily had rushed to his side, scanned the words written upon it, and had smiled broadly; with the other documents they had already discovered, this was all they needed to prove everything had happened….
The fact that they were on the shuttle just a few hours later had been chance, with Emily only calling on a whim, and then using all her powers of persuasion to convince the woman in charge of the shuttles that they should be given the last two seats. That done, they had packed hastily, and headed straight to the terminal, where they had dozed as they waited for the departure time.
"It is so beautiful Finn. All those tall buildings shining in the sunlight; so familiar to everyone thanks to photos and films, and yet new and exciting."
Emily's voice brought Finn back from the daydream he had been having, and he smiled. "Well we will have time to explore it once we have presented everything to Elizabeth. We won't be able to see everything this time, but once you are here for good we will explore something new every day, I promise."
"I will hold you to that, Finn Hudson. I wish that I didn't have to go back, but I will need to work out my notice, pack up my rooms, see that what I need from them can be shipped over here… I will miss you so much, but it will be worth it to have you around forever afterwards."
Now he was leading her down the corridor to the Ohio section door, as she stared at the marble walls with the stout wooden doors, grander than the one she was used to in the England section and yet, so similar. The department was strangely silent as they entered, and they made their way to the door of Elizabeth's office without coming across another angel, which did make Finn curious. That Wes was absent from the outer office was less of a surprise, given the veil of secrecy that surrounded his work; that Elizabeth was sitting there instead was a little bit of a shock though. "Welcome home, Finn, and welcome to you, Emily. I am Elizabeth Hummel, and I am very pleased to have you here, particularly given what you mean to the young man at your side. I have tea waiting in my office, and you will be glad to know that I did not use tea bags to make it…"
Emily laughed, then they followed Elizabeth into her office, Finn closing the door behind him. Tea was poured, and they all took a seat. "Well, I guess that I should not keep you waiting; we found the last piece of the jigsaw last night, and we are here to present to you the documentary evidence that the rumour is true; the events described did take place. Finding the information was not an easy task, and I believe strongly that someone wanted to conceal this from ever being revealed," began Finn.
"I can understand why they would do so," added Emily. "Even now, there is a great sense of pride amongst the senior administrators of the England section, as they regard themselves as the first to have established the systems which govern the angelic realms even now, and think they are superior, particularly to the departments covering Wales, Scotland and Ireland. If they found out that this had happened under the watch of the English, well, they would never allow them to forget it."
"That explains why the head of the England section wrote to me and asked that should I find the proof, I would not communicate it to anyone outside the Ohio section apart from the senior angels, and that I should not allow the information to fall into the hands of the Canadian section, for the obvious reasons," replied Elizabeth. "So we have absolutely everything; all the certificates, all of the correspondence and minutes?"
"Yes; last night we managed to unearth the letter that started the whole chain of events from the bottom of a box filled with all kinds of miscellaneous papers. There were even old newspaper advertisements for department stores that were long gone…" began Finn; he paused then added, "Of course! I didn't realise it at the time, but all of the adverts were for one store - Bourne and Hollingsworth. That is related directly to the events through one of the parties! Whoever actually hid the letter was leaving a clue of sorts to anyone seeking the data that it was in there…."
As Finn had spoken, Emily had opened the messenger bag she had been carrying since they left London, the one that had never left her side, even on the shuttle. It had a lock on it, and a combination only she knew. She pulled out the buff coloured folder, marked as containing household expenses, and gave it to Elizabeth. "It is all in there, along with a draft report that I have been writing as we found each piece, stating why it proves your point. I still need to write up a report for the last item we found, but it is quite self-explanatory really."
Elizabeth nodded, then said, "I would like to thank both of you for this; what you have done will allow something that means a lot to me to take place. What I am going to do now is contact the angelic council and ask to see them urgently, as in this afternoon, and I will not be taking no for an answer, trust me. If you could write up that report for the last document, Emily, I would be grateful. I would also like you both to join me when I see the council. I know that can be quite intimidating, but they will be glad to hear the story of your investigations first hand from you. They will also be quite pleased to have something to hold against the England section when they get boastful at conferences again, which is why they did not object to your transfer from London."
Emily nodded, and took out her pad and pen, and began to write her report on the last link in the chain. Finn meanwhile sat and watched, wondering what the others would think of Emily when he introduced her to them later; wondered how his mom and Burt would react to meeting her too. He was certain that their reactions would be positive; if not, then it would be their loss. She meant far too much to him now for him to let her go…
Elizabeth's request for a meeting with the angelic council was accepted immediately, and barely had the ink dried on Emily's report than she was walking with Finn and the head of the Ohio section to the chamber wherein some of the most senior angels in the realms sat. The chamber was set out in such a way as to intimidate those that were called to give witness to it, and those coming for meetings such as theirs were not spared from the feeling of being inferior. The assembly listened as Elizabeth made her wish, and when their protests began, she was able to produce her evidence without any sort of hesitation or delay. The documents stated the facts, plain and simple, and to be honest, the senior angels did look quite nonplussed that the rumour of all rumours had been proven. Like all committees, they informed Elizabeth that whilst they had gathered all of the necessary documentation, such a weighty decision could not be made there and then, but would have to be deliberated upon; their opposite numbers across the Atlantic would have to be involved, as would those above them, in close contact with the master of all the realms. They left without the definitive answer they might have been hoping for, but as Elizabeth said, there was no way that they could refuse her now on the grounds that she had no proof; as such, she fully expected to hear in a matter of days that her request had been granted…
With their duties done, it was time for Finn to make some introductions. As he had expected, Emily was invited to stay with Elizabeth for the duration of her visit; even although she was Finn's soulmate, it was unthinkable that she should stay with him until she was officially employed on the same side of the ocean. In many ways he was grateful for that, because as soon as he walked back into his little house, he realised that what Puck had said was correct, and his place was indeed a man cave. He decided that Emily would not see his place until she was back for good, and then only once he had allowed his step-brother to have a hand in its redecoration. He met up with him, Blaine and Wes not long after he made that decision, then they made their way to Elizabeth's for dinner.
As he had hoped, Emily made an instant impression on them all; Wes found her to be intelligent and funny, someone that he could have a serious conversation with on subjects none of the others really understood; Blaine for his part found that she had an appreciation of music that was second only to his own, and a keen interest in the work he did at the nursery. Kurt took his time to judge her for himself, and decided that she was, in fact, exactly the kind of woman that his step-brother needed. She was not a self-obsessed diva like a certain brunette, nor was she a calculating type. She was decent, honest and had a smile that just made Finn melt. He was certain that Carole would love her; he was unsure as to whether Rachel would like her, or despise her though…
The next few days were pleasant for Finn in the extreme. He showed Emily around the city of New York, taking her to the landmarks that she had seen in books and on film, and had craved to see in person for nearly half a century if truth be told. She experienced the food, the culture and the nightlife, soon discovering that it really was the city that never slept. London was catching up, but the idea of an underground rail network that ran 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, was a novelty when you came from a city where only parts of the tube ran overnight at the weekend, and where the entire public transport system ground to a halt on Christmas Day….
Finn had been concerned as to how his mother would take to the new woman in his life, and Emily had wondered too if she would get on with the woman that was to be her mother-in-law to all intents and purposes. Neither of them need to have been stressed about it, nor should Carole have worried as to how Emily would accept her. The moment that they met, under the watchful eyes of Burt and Finn, there had been an easiness and a bond, both of them united in their love for the latter. Carole had told stories, had brought out his baby photos, much to his embarrassment and Emily's delight, and had talked for hours. There was a tense moment though when Emily told Burt and Carole when she had died; Finn could see his mother doing the math, and her eyebrows did raise a little, but thanks to the freezing of age that came with becoming an angel, Emily did not look like a woman in her early seventies. By the time their first meeting was over, the two woman had become friends, and as Burt remarked to Finn, that would make their relationship a great success.
Then it was time for Emily to make her return back to London, Finn felt a great pain in his heart, unlike anything he had felt before. He knew though that she would be back sooner rather than later, and that once she was, she would never leave him again; that made him very happy indeed.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Nick had a surprise for Jeff as the end of April came. He had already spoken to Miss Frobisher behind his back, and had arranged for Wes to be absent from the kindergarten on the final Friday of the month, along with the first Tuesday in May. The Monday was the 1st of May, a bank holiday in England, so he would already have been away from school.
When Jeff took their son to school on the Thursday morning, he had no idea that Nick had already packed their bags for a weekend adventure, which would begin that night. He had also arranged to leave work a little early that day, so that he could be back at home when Jeff and Wes arrived back from the school. Jeff was curious when he stepped into the house and immediately smelt cooking; he had a moment when he feared that the house had been broken into, until common sense made him accept that it would be highly unlikely that a burglar would come in and start making a meal. he headed downstairs with caution none the less, then smiled broadly as he saw his husband busy at the stove. "Nicky, this is a lovely surprise! How did you manage to get away from work so early?"
"I still had a couple of days holiday owed even after using the majority so that we could head home earlier than planned, so I thought that I owed myself a long weekend. That brings me on to the surprise; we are going away for a long weekend, starting tonight. We have reservations for the Caledonian Sleeper tonight, which will take us to Fort William. As such, we need to be at Euston station for 9pm"
"Tonight!" exclaimed Jeff. "How can we go tonight? Wes has school in the morning and I have nothing packed!"
"Firstly, I packed for both of us yesterday night, apart from your art supplies, which you are better organising yourself. Secondly, Miss Frobisher has known about this for a while, and Wes is excused tomorrow and Tuesday. I just thought that we should take a trip up to the Scottish Highlands before we went home; we have seen so little of the north of the United Kingdom, and we may not ever get another opportunity to explore…"
Jeff smiled, and headed over to kiss his husband, before heading upstairs to pack up his essential art supplies, leaving his husband to tell Wes they were going away for an adventure. He was quietly excited at the prospect of heading to the most rugged part of the British Isles, and imagined he would find a lot to sketch there. Downstairs, Nick was telling their son exactly what things they would be going to see, and made him promise that he would not say anything to his papa…
Euston station was busy even at such a late hour, and they joined a long queue of people making their way to the train, taking care to ensure that they joined the correct part of the lengthy train, which would split into three parts in the early hours of the morning. They were all very impressed by the two adjoining rooms, one with a double bed and the other with bunks, and a shower room. At 9.15pm on the dot, the whistle blew and the train pulled out of the station, heading hundreds of miles north to the remote corner of the country that had inspired much writing and art. After a hot chocolate in the lounge car, they all headed to bed, ready for the adventure the next few days would bring.
