Valentine's Weekend 2027.
By the time that Valentine's Day came around, it was common knowledge that Burt and Carole would be joining Nick, Jeff and Wes in attending the actual Coronation. Only Isabelle however had heard a rumour that Pam would be overseeing the Queen Consort's make-up regime during the event. Like Cooper, she had initially dismissed the idea as a prank, but then she had recalled just how positively the then Duchess of Cornwall had reacted to what Pam had done for her on the day of Jeff's exhibition preview, so just maybe it could be true. She said nothing to anyone about it, unaware that someone at Bloomingdales was a lot less scrupulous, and it would be all over Manhattan by the middle of the following week.
One other thing that Isabelle was also keeping to herself was the conversation that she had enjoyed with Kurt a few days earlier. She had been working late, a deadline to meet and an article to rewrite after one of the people named in it had admitted that they had lied about their involvement in the whole thing. Gideon had plans with Mitch, and she had told him to go home, and so she was alone in her office. She had been happy to feel the draught and looked up from her typing to see her favourite of the angels standing there, a huge smile on his face. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise, and a well timed one too, as I am just finished with this rewrite, and I would appreciate someone reading through it for me that has a good knowledge of the subject. I asked Julian once and although he noticed a spelling error, he did not realise that I had attributed things to the wrong designers…"
Kurt laughed and sat down to read the article as Isabelle fixed herself a drink. "Well, it is up to your usual standard, and every fact is correct; I think that we can safely save it and send it to the publishing team." Isabelle nodded and let Kurt do exactly that. Then the angel smiled, and said, "Now that is done, I can tell you what I came here to do…"
"If it is about Pam Anderson going to the Coronation, I know," Isabelle said in reply, and Kurt laughed.
"Not that, although it came as quite a surprise to Blaine, who is now worried what she might do once she is there and under pressure… No, I have to tell someone, and Wes agreed that you would be the best person, and least likely to spill the beans. I had lunch with Queen Elizabeth and her family…"
Isabelle looked at him for a moment, then said, "That must have been quite something…"
"It was a dream come true, once I got over the shock of it. It was Wes she really wanted to meet up with again, seeing as he was the one that collected her…"
"I did wonder if that might have been the case, given how attached she was to Jeff's drawing of him…"
"He was the only choice really. Anyway, after he had taken her through all of the initial steps and escorted her to her waiting husband, she asked him to lunch, and he agreed, as long as he could bring his friends. So that was how all of us ended up having lunch in a heavenly Balmoral Castle with the Queen, Prince Phillip, her father, mother and grandmother…"
"Queen Mary was there too? That must have been quite something to meet someone like her!"
"She seemed to bond most with Seth of all people! I know that he has been given permission to go and see her regularly; one afternoon a week they meet for afternoon tea and conversation… Finn was a worry, but he didn't put his foot in it, and Emily was just overawed. Blaine was stunned most of the time, but the Queen and my mom really bonded…"
"I can just picture that husband of yours actually," smiled Isabelle. "How did you feel about it all; I know how much of a royalist you are…"
"I was stunned at first, because she is back to how she looks in all those pictures from 1953, but she is such an easy person to talk too, and well, it was the best moment of my life so far… Although maybe life isn't the right word… I don't know if there will be more lunches like that, but I exist in hope…"
Isabelle smiled then, and still did now when she thought about how excited he had looked as he described the meal, what had been said, and even told her one of the jokes that the late Queen had told him; the stories of her wicked sense of humour were all true if that was anything to go by…
As ever, the 14th of February was marked amongst the group of friends with the usual exchange of tokens of love amongst the couples; Nick baked Jeff a whole box of his favourite cookies using a heart-shaped cutter, and also gave him a new pencil box, as his old one was starting to fall apart from constant use; the blond had bought him a box of his guilty pleasure Belgian chocolate truffles, and a new pair of gloves, as his current pair was wearing thin. They then had to deal with the fact that for the first time, one of their son's classmates had sent their boy a Valentine's card, and he was not keen, especially as he had not sent any of his own in return and he felt guilty.
Elsewhere, two newly married couples swapped their first gifts as husband and wife, although in the case of Roderick and Hillary it was a joint gift purchase that they made together; their new puppy was adorable, and now that they had a new home within easy walking distance of a park, they felt that they were able to have a pet, even if they might need to find a dog walker on occasion. They were fortunate in one way in that Hillary would be able to take the puppy into work with her at the University, as they had recently adopted a policy permitting it.
It had all come about when somebody complained that they had a creche facility for human babies and the lack of one for fur babies was discrimination. Eyes had been rolled initially by those in charge, until the resident legal advisor had pointed out that if the person in question took them to court, there was every possibility that they would lose. Pets were thus allowed at work, although many who had seen the legal advisor's dog curled up under her desk did wonder if she had been entirely unbiased when she made that statement…
As for Dex, he had headed out early that morning to take a special breakfast to his girlfriend Miriam, a fellow member of the Greenwich Village Operatic Society, who was working in the florists that morning on what was one of the busiest days of the year. He was now entirely certain that she was the one for him, and the feeling was reciprocated. She had also managed to persuade him to audition for the lead in the next production that they would stage in May, and he was now one of two contenders for the part. Miriam was also one of the two contenders for the female lead, and they had the bonus that they had chemistry together. Their rivals for the roles had none, and indeed seemed to hate each other.
The decision would be taken at the next meeting, when they would both perform with each other and the other contender for the opposite part in front of the producers and the rest of the society. Knowing that their rivals had a severe dislike for each other, all they had to ensure was that they did not have chemistry with them either and the parts would be in the bag. Of course, to do such a thing would be wrong, but that wouldn't stop them…
Dex also knew that today was the day that Lawrence was going to tell everyone that he and Adam were engaged. They had no option really, as they had done an interview with Isabelle for Vogue, and it would go live on the website at 6pm that night. They had discussed the best way to announce it to their friends, and had agreed to place a message on their personal Facebook pages at noon; that way, all of their friends would be notified before the rest of the world found out 6 hours later.
As it was a Sunday, the moment that Lawrence and Adam made their simultaneous posts on their respective Facebook pages, the congratulations immediately began to flood in, along with a number of comments that it was not before time. Lawrence had put on his engagement ring for the photo that accompanied the announcement, and he had surprised Adam that morning with a ring of his own. It was not as old nor as expensive as the heirloom piece that the Englishman had given him, but that did not matter; to Adam, who had slipped on the ring for the photo as well, it was a symbol of the love they shared.
It had also come with a chain on which he could wear it whilst he was working; as Lawrence said, "I can't wear mine at work for issues of safety and hygiene; you can't wear yours because it doesn't fit with your character in the show. For that reason, it makes sense for both of us to wear them in the exact same way, on a chain round our neck."
"You are right, and once we are married, we can add our wedding rings onto the chain as well," Adam replied. "Today, however, we will wear them proudly on our fingers, so that everyone can see them…"
The rings themselves would be the subject of much debate on Facebook, but in the end, it was one private message that made Lawrence laugh. It came from the Nurse Crane, a reluctant user of the site; it stated firstly that she was very pleased for them both, and secondly that she was glad to see that beautiful ring on his finger, instead of hung on the chain around his neck… He turned to Adam and showed him the message. "I think that she has realised that we are not newly engaged, but she is not the kind of person that will say anything. I am just relieved that everyone is so happy for us; that makes all the difference in the world…"
Adam nodded as he read a kind message from Rachel, who made no mention of the fact that Sam already knew what was happening. His co-star was obviously a very accomplished actor at home as well as on set…
Naturally there was an urge amongst them all to mark the event in some fashion, and so all those that were in New York found themselves converging on the Spotlight Diner for an impromptu gathering at 7pm that evening. By that time, the interview for Vogue had been released, and the whole world knew that Clive was engaged to be married in real life, not just in the sitcom. As was only to be expected, there were some fans of the show that had real life and fictional sitcom confused; they were online and calling Adam all the nasty names under the sun for his betrayal of Darrin, ignoring the fact that the article clearly stated that Sam Evans was married to Rachel Berry in real life already multiple times, complete with a photo of them on their wedding day. Funnily enough, nobody was accusing him of bigamy…
The majority of the comments in that first hour were, however, positive and kind; on seeing the nastier ones, Santana headed straight over to the couple when they arrived at the diner, and stated that she was sure that she could find out where those halfwits lived, and then they could be introduced to Auntie Snix…
"Flattered as we both are with that offer, we must refuse to accept it. If these people cannot separate fact from fiction, then they deserve our pity and help, not to be taken outside and beaten up," said Adam with a grin.
"You're no fun," quipped Santana in response. She headed off then to the privacy of Michelle's office, where she signed into the additional account she had set up on Facebook under a false name; under that alter ego, she proceeded to attack in cruel words all of the haters and those refugees from reality online.
When Dex arrived with Miriam there was another moment; it was the first time he had brought her as his partner to such a large gathering of friends, but she was welcomed in like she had been coming for years. However, five minutes in, she was spirited off to a quiet corner by Grace and Marley, leaving a confused Dex alone with Cooper. "They have taken her away to protect her from a Spanish Inquisition grade conversation with a lady that some lovingly refer to as Satan," the older man stated. "In any case, I wanted a quiet word with you in private anyway. I know that you will have to leave the West Village house this year, and well, now that Roderick is married and in a home of his own, there is a garden apartment sitting empty in Murray Hill. I am giving you the first option on being my new tenant…"
Half an hour later, as Dex was happily telling Miriam all about his new place on the east side of midtown Manhattan, the door opened to reveal Seth's cousin Matthew. That was not what caused the stir that followed, but the fact that he had a familiar lady on his arm. At first the room had fallen silent, but then there was a hubbub of conversation as they saw how close they seemed to be. Marley just managed to beat Kitty in the race to Madison's side, the blonde inwardly cursing that thanks to the presence of the former, her interrogation would need to be gentle…
Madison however was in no mood to hold anything back. She announced to them proudly that she was dating Matthew, and furthermore, she had just signed the lease of a small store in the Upper East Side, just off Madison Avenue itself, and that would be the physical presence of her successful online business in the city…
That there was no subsequent announcement of her taking a lease on an apartment in the city at the same time, it was easy for everyone in the room to deduce that it was her intention to move in with Matthew when she came to run that store; that came as a shock to his cousin Hillary, sat in a booth with her husband, as she had no idea exactly how her aunt would react to the older woman moving in with her son…
It was then that the door opened again, and Mason walked in with Jane at his side. Everyone fell silent again as they watched what was happening. The look on his face when he saw that his sister was there was the start, showing that she had not told him she would be in the city that day. Then she told him she was dating Matthew, and his face was a picture, all that before she disclosed the fact that she would be coming to live in the city. Although none of their assembled friends said anything out loud, they all were thinking the same thing; that she should have had the decency to let her twin brother know what was going on before anyone else…
Mason had to admit that it had all come as quite a surprise; as far as he had been aware, his sister had been at home in Ohio since her trip to the city for the two weddings at the start of the year, getting over her break up. If the truth was to be told, he had never really taken to the man in question anyway, but it was not his place to interfere with his sister's love life. He had been sympathetic nonetheless when the split had occurred. He would also state that the bond that twins always seemed to share seemed to have diminished over the last few years, a combination of the distance between them and his own marriage and career path. That did not alter the fact that he would have expected to be one of the first people his sister told if she was coming to visit the city, and he certainly would have hoped to be the first person to be informed if she had started to date a mutual acquaintance, not to have discovered it after the rest of the world did.
He had to admit that he did like Matthew as a person; he was much smarter than Madison's ex and had a secure career. However, he was a good few years younger, and when you also factored in the fact that their relationship seemed to have gone from nought to sixty in a little over six weeks, he had every reason to feel concerned about what was going on. His sister saw the look on his face and knew why it was there instinctively, so as soon as she saw the opportunity, she took him aside to a quiet area away from the others for a more private conversation.
"I know what you are thinking right now; I always have. You are thinking that he is a good guy, but he is perhaps too young for me and that I hardly know him; that it is all racing along at much too fast a pace and a crash is inevitable. Maybe it is to someone that is observing it from the outside but trust me when I say that it is perfect. I felt an enormous pull towards him on the night of Marley and Ryder's wedding, and I knew then that we had a connection. The following night, at Roderick and Hillary's wedding, I knew why more clearly; he is my soulmate. He took my hand that night and there were sparks, and he felt them too. I didn't want to say anything there and then though; I knew that I had to be certain it was more than a one-off moment. For that reason, we agreed to meet up in private. He invited me here for the weekend three weeks ago, then we met up in Pittsburgh last weekend. We are both certain of the connection now; we need to be together…"
Mason nodded, and replied, "Okay, I get all of the soulmate stuff, because I felt it with Jane, but isn't it still too soon to be moving in with each other, which I assume you are going to be doing as you never mentioned renting an apartment, just a store. Even with soulmates, it is best to date for a while first before taking that plunge. Look, why don't you come and stay with me and Jane when you first move to New York? We would all love to have you around, and it would be nice for Jane to have an adult in the house to talk to at nights when I'm at work…"
"Although that sounds wonderful, maybe you should consult your wife on her opinion on that before you have me moved in," Madison responded with a smile. "To be honest, we hadn't actually discussed where I would be staying; maybe that is a sign that we are going just a little bit too fast, and well, moving in together might be a bad idea at this stage. So, ask Jane what she thinks about me moving in, and then I will tell Matthew about your plan. There is no point in me speaking to Mattie if your wife says no way to me staying with you…"
Mason paused momentarily at the fact that his sister already had a pet name for the younger man that he could now see was engaged in conversation with his wife. It was then that he felt it; that sense that his twin was very happy. He took a moment to look at her properly then, and he saw that she was looking much more carefree and cheerful than she had done for many years. Her skin was glowing, her eyes were bright and all that was down to the fact that she was in a new, better relationship… "So, you have a pet name for him already; that is nice… I am happy for you, but I just wish that I hadn't been the last one to find out though. I wasn't sure that I was going to come tonight, and if I hadn't…"
Madison nodded, and said contritely, "I know, I should have told you about it before everyone else found out. The problem is that you are so busy with work and family that we never seem to have time to catch up, and well, once Mattie and I started down this road, the pace just grew faster and faster… I think it would be a good idea for the two of you to have a quiet chat as well; he is expecting it, as he has been worried about what you might think about the two of us being together…"
"I agree, but tonight might not be the best time to have that conversation, given just how full the place is and how many prying eyes and ears there will be. Are you going to be in the city tomorrow night?"
"Yes, I am not heading back to Ohio until Tuesday afternoon. I need to meet up with the letting agents again, and I am also seeing some shopfitters about kitting out my store."
"Right, then you and Matthew will be coming to dinner with me and Jane tomorrow night. It will give me time for a chat with Jane about all of this in private, although I am sure that she will have no issue with you coming to stay with us until you are certain the time is right for you and Matthew to move in together. I can also have a talk to him tomorrow night before we sit down to eat."
Madison agreed, then headed off to re-join her boyfriend, as she saw Kitty was hovering close by, ready to pounce on him and interrogate the life out of him about his new relationship. As for Mason, he sat silently contemplating what had just happened; he was so deep in thought that he was startled to suddenly find Roderick beside him.
"For what it's worth, Matthew is a good guy; solid, dependable, head screwed on and with a secure career; also, if he ends up with your sister, it will make the two of us relatives of a sort given that he is my wife's cousin…"
"That is a long way off in the future, not that I have any objection to that," said Mason, and then his voice faltered, as he suddenly had a vision of his sister eloping with her young beau at any moment, given how fast their relationship had been going…
Seeing the expression on his friend's face, Roderick said in a low voice, "Okay, what do you really think about all of this?"
"Well, for a start, I think that mom and dad are going to be extremely surprised, and that will be an interesting conversation when they find out, which will need to be soon now. As for my opinion, it doesn't really matter. All I have ever wanted for Madison is for her to be happy, and well, if he makes her happy, then how can I object? The only thing I wish is that I had known what was going on before I walked in here and saw them together. We were always so close when we were kids, Madison and me, but now…"
Roderick nodded, and replied, "That's true, but we all grow apart a little from our family as we grow older. Our lives take us to different places, and even the closest of bonds lessens when there is an ocean between you, as there was when you were in London. The good thing is that now she is coming to live here, you will be able to see more of each other, and you can work on rebuilding that closeness you used to have…"
Mason nodded at his friend's words and decided that it would be no bad thing to restore his relationship with his twin to what it had been before.
As the majority of the circle of friends digested Madison's news, or congratulated Adam and Lawrence on their engagement, Flint saw that Beats was sitting on his own, almost zoned out amidst all of the hubbub and laughter. He left Izzy to talk to the newly engaged couple and went to join his best friend. "Well, that was a turn up for the books!" he said to break the ice, a grin on his face. "Who even knew that the two of them were in contact with each other at all!"
He was a little shocked when Beats' response was to burst out laughing. Once he stopped, he leant closer to his friend, and whispered, "Don't tell them, but three weeks ago on Friday I left something in the office and had to go back for it; when I got there, I witnessed the two of them in a clinch at the door to our department. They didn't see me, and it wasn't my place to say anything, so I stayed quiet. On the Monday morning, Matthew actually told me that he was seeing someone, that it was the real thing, and that he would introduce me to her when the time was right…"
"No wonder you were laughing!" replied Flint with a smile. "Putting that aside, how are you doing? We haven't had a chance to talk since last weekend…"
Beats sighed, then said, "I'm okay; the guilt I felt has gone and I am coping. I have spoken to Mom and Dad a lot this last week, and they're doing okay too. They have put my sister's house on the market and the money from the sale will go into the kid's college funds mainly, although some will be diverted to more immediate needs, like giving them comfortable bedrooms at my folks' place. As far as I am aware, there haven't been any issues for the kids at school, no bullying or anything of that nature – but as my Mom said, precious little in the way of sympathy either. I know that sounds cruel, but the general consensus in town is that they are better off without her around…"
Flint nodded, thinking much the same himself. "As long as the kids are okay, then that is fine. We should also be grateful that your parents were able to step up and had been doing so for years; had that not been the case, then all of this would have been a disaster…"
Meanwhile, as Jane agreed with her husband that it would be a good idea for Madison to move in with them temporarily, much to Mason's relief, and across the room, Matthew agreed with his girlfriend that maybe they should slow down just a little, nobody spotted the four figures that were standing in a corner, quietly observing the scene. This suited the angelic quartet well enough that evening, as they were always happier to just observe when there were countless people in a location that could not see them.
Wes smiled as he saw that they were all enjoying themselves, recalling as he did so all the occasions that he had been present at The Spotlight Diner before he had passed away. It had been here, of course, that the party before what should have been Kurt and Blaine's wedding day had been held back in 2013; that had been his first visit, and there had been dozens after that, particularly in the months he had lived in the city around Hunter's trial. That had been one of the happiest periods of his life, and had culminated in his untimely demise the morning after Nick and Jeff had married… The place had been in the hands of his friends for many years now, and his cousin had been at the helm for all that time, steering the place and turning it into the highly profitable business that it now was; a neighbourhood diner and a tourist attraction as well.
He suddenly became aware that Seth was looking at him, and he returned to the present. "Mason seems to have come to terms with what is happening with his sister and Matthew. I think the fact that they will not now be moving in together from her first day in the city might have helped there," the newest angel observed, and Wes nodded.
"Of course, it is only delaying what is inevitable, because they are soulmates, but if it makes him happier about it all, then it is for the best. The spark is definitely there, and it is a strong one. Those two are meant to be together."
"I noticed the same spark between Adam and Lawrence too," observed Kurt then, and Wes turned his attention to the one of their current number who had been an angel the longest. He smiled at him, then shared something that he knew from the files that existed on them all in the heavenly realms…
"You do realise, of course, that you were Adam's soulmate too?" Wes replied. Kurt looked a little startled at that news, so he went on, "His soulmate in a platonic sense. You were never going to be the love of his life, just as he was never going to be the love of yours. You were destined to be the best of friends though. That was why it hurt you so badly when he stopped talking to you after you reunited with Blaine, and why he felt so hurt by his own decision too…"
Blaine had now turned his attention to Wes fully and came over to wrap his arms around his husband. "Whilst we are on the subject, can I just say that I think Dex and Miriam might well be a perfect match too?"
"They are," replied Wes with a smile. "Once the inevitable happens, and Lawrence moves in with Adam, and Dex no longer feels he has to be big brother first and everything else second, then he and Miriam will thrive. I expect that the two of them might even be the first of the three couples we have mentioned so far to marry…" The other three angels looked at his innocent face, knowing he had been reading the files, and chuckled. "As long as they are happy, none of the rest of it matters though. When you think about it, love is the most important thing any of us can have, whether it is a romantic love or a platonic one. We all have a romantic soulmate and a platonic one; some of us find them both, but alas, some of us don't…"
Seth nodded sadly then, knowing that although he had found his platonic soulmate in Skylar, he had only met his romantic one when it was too late; he had been an angel by then, and had been tasked with bringing her to the heavenly realms, and any sort of relationship would be difficult, if not impossible…
Wes looked at his watch then, and said firmly, "Okay gentlemen, it is time for us to go; we have much work to be getting on with. We can be content that for those we love here in the mortal realm, things will be peaceful now until August…."
"And then we have my mom working for a Queen Consort at a Coronation," said Blaine.
"And my dad, Carole and Niff there too," said Kurt.
Wes nodded, aware that those connections might just be enough to permit those angels with him to go to London and see it all first-hand too…
